From 37e9734579e1296d90e2a0549a9c64e563568135 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Oliver Davies Date: Fri, 9 Aug 2024 23:36:45 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] Add daily email for 2024-08-08 To configure or not to configure --- source/_daily_emails/2024-08-08.md | 37 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 37 insertions(+) create mode 100644 source/_daily_emails/2024-08-08.md diff --git a/source/_daily_emails/2024-08-08.md b/source/_daily_emails/2024-08-08.md new file mode 100644 index 000000000..6245db63b --- /dev/null +++ b/source/_daily_emails/2024-08-08.md @@ -0,0 +1,37 @@ +--- +title: To configure or not to configure +date: 2024-08-08 +permalink: daily/2024/08/08/to-configure-or-not-to-configure +tags: + - software-development + - linux + - vim +cta: ~ +snippet: | + How much should you configure your tools? +--- + +It's been [more than nine years][0] since I started [my dotfiles repository][1], which is a collection of configuration files for tools I use. + +Originally containing my `.gitconfig` configuration file for Git, it now contains my configuration for Neovim, tmux, Git and a lot more. + +One of the things I like is being able to see and read other peoples' dotfiles and take inspiration from their configurations. + +I see some configurations that are very complex and customised, and some which are simpler. + +Recently, I've been thinking about how much customisation is too much, and moving towards a more minimal configuration. + +This isn't specific to command-line tools and also applies to customising GUI programs such as PhpStorm or VSCode. + +A more complex configuration means more code to maintain. + +It's more difficult to work on different computers, whether you're pair or mob programming, or working on a remote server. Would you still be productive if you didn't have all your configurations? + +If you've changed the default behaviour of a command, such as not allowing merge commits in Git or rebasing by default, if someone doesn't have that same option, is that going to cause confusion or introduce inconsistencies? + +I'm not going to reset all my configuration files to their default values, but I'll continue to review and decide whether I want to customise something on a case by case basis and whether adding it - especially if it's a larger addition, such as adding a Vim plugin - is worth the maintenance overhead. + +The same as in an application, I don't want to add modules or plugins that I'm not going to use or aren't adding value, and I want to ensure I'm making the most of what the software offers. + +[0]: {{site.url}}/archive/2023/08/08/8-years-of-dotfiles +[1]: https://github.com/opdavies/dotfiles.nix