What Craig Mod thinks about software performance
Writer, photographer and software maker based in Japan; publishes long-form essays, walking newsletters and self-made books at craigmod.com.
Everything they publish, on ppll ↗
Craig Mod did not write this page.
We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.
5 dated positions, 2019 to 2026, in their own words. Our reading of what Craig Mod has said — not written or endorsed by them.
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Their wordsI've always been opinionated about how software should work. Mainly, it should be fast. The bounds of it should be "knowable." The contract you have with it should be "sane" (i.e., you just own it).
- 7 years earlier
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Their wordsSpeed in software is probably the most valuable, least valued asset. To me, speedy software is the difference between an application smoothly integrating into your life, and one called upon with great reluctance.
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Their wordsSpeed and reliability are often intuited hand-in-hand. Speed can be a good proxy for general engineering quality. If an application slows down on simple tasks, then it can mean the engineers aren’t obsessive detail sticklers.
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Our readingSoftware should unbloat over time: the longer it is around, the more elegant it should become.
Their wordsI love software that does this: Software that unbloats over time. This should be the goal of all software. The longer it’s around, the more elegant it should become. Smooth over like a river stone.
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Their wordsFast software is not always good software, but slow software is rarely able to rise to greatness. Fast software gives the user a chance to “meld” with its toolset. That is, not break flow.