In the great book Software Engineering at Google, the authors draw a powerful line between programming and software engineering. Programming is often a sprint—building an MVP, shipping a feature, getting it done fast. In that world, “good enough” might be all you need for a project with a six-month lifespan.
But software engineering is a marathon. It’s the craft of building systems designed to thrive for years, even decades. This isn’t just about writing code that works. It’s about building software that is readable, maintainable, and a pleasure to evolve. It’s about creating clean architecture and robust design from day one.
That’s the world of codeaesthetics.dev.
The Slow Decay of “Good Enough”
Think about your team’s daily workflow. Countless pull requests are merged every week. Now, imagine each one is just 95% as good as it could be. A tiny code smell here, a “trivial” shortcut there. At first, it’s unnoticeable. But what does that codebase look like in two years? In five? This slow accumulation of imperfections is the technical debt that grinds projects to a halt.
This challenge is now amplified in the age of AI. Code generation tools are powerful accelerators, but they often produce code that is merely functional, not thoughtful. Without careful oversight, this AI-assisted code can rapidly pollute our codebases with subtle anti-patterns and hidden technical debt. This new era demands more from us, not less. It requires the maturity to guide these tools, the responsibility to rigorously validate their output, and a deeper-than-ever understanding of best practices to act as the essential human guardian of quality.
This blog is for developers who fight that decay. It’s for those who believe the last 5% is what separates good software from great software. We’ll explore the best practices and design patterns of true software craftsmanship, but this is also a space for shared discovery. It’s about learning through writing, turning hard-won empirical lessons into clear insights, and most importantly, finding joy in and appreciating the intricate beauty of the software engineering world.
Welcome.