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nh23423fefe | 1 month ago

Isn't it the opposite? The complication is evidence of function. The simple code doesn't work.

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kelnos|1 month ago

That assertion feels suspiciously like a logical fallacy.

maxbond|1 month ago

Not really. If the solution has less complexity than is inherent in the problem, it can't possibly work. If the solution has complexity equal to or greater than the complexity inherent in the problem, it may work. So if you see complex code handling many different edge cases, you can take that as an indicator the author understood the problem. That doesn't mean they do understand or that the solution does work; only that you have more confidence than you did initially.

It's a weak signal but the reasoning is sound.

pixl97|1 month ago

Not really. A different place to look for this is in chemical reactions and things biological life does.

You may have some simple chemical life needs, and life may have some other simple chemical it can use to get the needed simple chemical, but the processing steps are complex and limited by physics themselves. Evolution almost always finds a path of using the minimum activation energy to let these reactions occur. Trying to make the process simpler just doesn't get you what you need.