A Policy of Transience: A Programmer's Philosophy of Computer Use
2025-05-13
This article details the unique computer usage habits of a programmer, centered around a "policy of transience." This philosophy dictates that all data should be either deliberately permanent and organized, or strictly temporary, avoiding accidental permanence. Examples include disabling persistent shell history, regularly clearing the GUI desktop, and frequently closing the web browser. The author explains the benefits, such as increased efficiency, better organization, and reduced data clutter. Related practices like corporate records management and automated OS setup are discussed, along with exceptions to the policy, such as email and browser history, which are kept permanently due to their unpredictable usefulness.
Development
programming habits