Fix small visible decay immediately — tolerated rot signals that rot is tolerated, and the standard collapses fast after that.
A codebase’s real standard is whatever its worst tolerated module says it is, and every new joiner reads that signal correctly within about a week.
Links
Typed edges. Anything below the line was authored on the other note and derived here.
supports →Don't rely on in-the-moment willpower — build environments and rules that make the good decision the automatic one.Environment over willpower, applied to a codebase. Nobody decides to lower their standards; they read the standard off the surroundings and comply with it.