Comment by d23
12 years ago
To me premature optimization goes far beyond just speed: it's a judgment call, and it affects everything we do as programmers.
Should I spend more time here making this variable readable? Should I structure this script to be maintainable, or is it going to be of no use in 2+ weeks?
Sometimes the answer is yes; sometimes the answer is no. The key is not to pre-maturely optimize. You have to use your own good judgment and an iterative problem solving process to figure out what the metaphorical bottle neck is and fix it (I say metaphorical because, again, it's not just about speed).
Yes - I think this is what I was trying to express. I guess I think the message about premature optimization is much more subtle than usually accounted for. It's about decisions to introduce complexity, to sacrifice design integrity, etc. in favour of performance.
But it is not about devaluing having a careful discipline and intuitive sense of the performance of code and a rigour about how you think about performance in your work. All those things are still incredibly important.