Modern software is too large, too fragile, and too dependent on layers its own authors no longer understand.
We reject this.
We believe software should be:
Small enough to understand.
Simple enough to modify.
Clear enough to trust.
Stable enough to last.
Portable enough to survive platforms.
Useful before it is fashionable.
Complexity is not sophistication.
Abstraction is not always progress.
Dependencies are not free.
More code is not more value.
A good program does one thing directly and predictably.
Its source code is part of its interface.
Its behavior should be explainable without mythology.
Its build system should not be larger than the program.
Its failure modes should be obvious.
We prefer:
Plain text over opaque formats.
Source code over generated machinery.
Explicit behavior over hidden magic.
Small tools over monolithic systems.
Correctness over convenience.
Maintenance over novelty.