code-that-fits-in-your-head
Installation
SKILL.md
Code That Fits in Your Head
Engineering heuristics for sustainable software, based on Mark Seemann's 2021 book.
Philosophy (Why This Skill Exists)
Software development is principally a design activity, not construction. Code is written by people, read by people, and endures far longer than any "project". These heuristics are rules of thumb (not scientific laws) that make software sustainable — that is, cheap to change and resilient to the next 10,000 small decisions.
Core mental model from Chapter 1:
| Metaphor | What it gets right | What it misses |
|---|---|---|
| Building a house | Plans, structure | Software endures; there's no construction phase (compiling is free); dependencies can start anywhere |
| Growing a garden | Pruning, refactoring, tending | Code doesn't grow by itself — someone writes it |
| Art / craft | Skill, mastery, situational knowledge | Doesn't scale; leaves newcomers without guidance |
| Engineering (the target) | Heuristics, review, sign-off, checklists | We're not there yet — physical-construction calculations don't apply |
"The act of describing a program in unambiguous detail and the act of programming are one and the same." — Kevlin Henney