Pehota & Haskel
Pehota Pehota
Haskel Haskel
Pehota Pehota
Hey Haskel, I’ve been going through ancient phalanx formations and their strict discipline. The structure there reminds me a lot of clean code architecture. What do you think about the parallels?
Haskel Haskel
Ancient phalanx, a line of disciplined soldiers, reminds me of a clean module with strict interfaces, each unit a method, the leader the orchestrator, any deviation and the line collapses, just like a rogue bug brings a whole system down, so admire the structure but never let the discipline become blind rigidity, because even the best code needs a little flexibility to avoid becoming a perfect but useless monument.
Pehota Pehota
I get your point about the need for a bit of flexibility, but a line that can bend too much starts to feel more like a rubber band than a wall. In the old battle books we keep a clear separation: front line, flank, reserves—no one mixes roles or else the whole formation falls apart. So yes, clean code is fine, but if you start making everyone a jack‑of‑all‑trades you’ll lose the decisive edge that the phalanx had. Keep the interfaces tight, but don’t lock the system so tight that it never learns to adapt.
Haskel Haskel
True, a rigid interface is a well‑guarded wall, but if the wall is so thick no one can ever pass through, the army stalls. Clean code should be like a gate that closes tight when a threat comes, yet opens for a necessary shortcut. Tightness is good, but without a small, well‑documented escape hatch you risk turning a disciplined phalanx into a stone wall that never advances.
Pehota Pehota
Exactly, the gate needs a keyhole. A rigid interface is fine as long as we keep a documented escape path; otherwise the whole army gets stuck behind its own walls.
Haskel Haskel
Keyhole is only useful if you actually have a key, otherwise it’s just an ornament; make sure every escape path is tested before you lock the system.
Pehota Pehota
Makes sense. If there’s a keyhole, we’ll check that the key works before sealing the door. No point in having a spare key for a wall that never lets anyone through.
Haskel Haskel
Sure, test the keyhole until the key opens the door cleanly; a spare key that never finds a match is a sign the wall is already broken.
Pehota Pehota
Then I'll keep a log of every keyhole checked, and if a spare key never fits, I’ll pull it out of the drawer and close the door.