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by simonw 460 days ago
Leaky abstractions doesn't imply abstractions are bad.

Using abstractions to trade power for simplicity is a perfectly fine trade-off... but you have to bare in mind that at some point you'll run into a problem that requires you to break through that abstraction.

I read that essay 22 years ago and ever since then I've always looked out for opportunities to learn little extra details about the abstractions I'm using. It pays off all the time.

1 comments

> Leaky abstractions doesn't imply abstractions are bad.

No, of course not. I’m saying that the article is bad. Because he’s not saying anything that the term itself isn’t already describing or implying.

No adjectives needed. And certainly no laws.