# General Programming

Published articles for General Programming.

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## Just Enough Optimization

DevFeed: [Just Enough Optimization](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/just-enough-optimization-27345.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://blog.mmckenna.me/just-enough-optimization>)

Author: Matt McKenna

Published: 2025-02-04T18:37:32Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Matt McKenna](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/matt-mckenna.md>)

Topics: [Optimization](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/optimization.md>), [Software Engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/software-engineering.md>)

Tags: [general-advice](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/general-advice.md>), [general-programming](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/general-programming.md>), [optimization](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/optimization.md>), [performance](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/performance.md>), [software-engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/software-engineering.md>)

### AI overview

The article argues that effective optimization often means removing unnecessary work rather than introducing complex algorithms or caching. It recommends solving current user and business problems, releasing useful software, and using feedback to guide future improvements instead of optimizing prematurely for hypothetical scale, bugs, or needs.

### Source excerpt

One of the most effective ways to improve software performance isn't complex algorithms or fancy caching techniques. Often, it's simply removing unnecessary work. If a piece of code doesn't need to run, it won't consume any resources. This principle ...

## Why Engineers Should Replace "Easy" and "Hard" with More Specific Language

DevFeed: [Why Engineers Should Replace "Easy" and "Hard" with More Specific Language](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/hardly-easy-27342.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://blog.mmckenna.me/hardly-easy>)

Author: Matt McKenna

Published: 2025-01-29T12:00:32Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Matt McKenna](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/matt-mckenna.md>)

Topics: [context](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/context.md>), [bug](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/bug.md>)

Tags: [bug](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/bug.md>), [context](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/context.md>), [feelings](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/feelings.md>), [general-advice](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/general-advice.md>), [general-programming](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/general-programming.md>), [inclusive](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/inclusive.md>), [scope](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/scope.md>), [software-engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/software-engineering.md>), [team](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/team.md>)

### AI overview

The article argues that engineers should avoid describing tasks as merely "easy" or "hard." More specific terms such as "small in scope," "straightforward," or "demanding" provide useful context and can help teams communicate more inclusively.

### Source excerpt

Words like "easy" and "hard" can be surprisingly exclusive. Telling someone a task is easy can make them feel ashamed or inadequate if they struggle, while simply labeling something hard fails to provide the context engineers need to understand the t...