There was a significant bit of the article at the end where the author discussed future changes to the codebase that requires special casing handles for different shapes, how it would have been difficult with the refactor but simple with the repetitive code.
I think that’s the critical bit is that you have to realize that the code will change in the future. Requirements will change, related code will change. If you make abstractions that restrict that ability to change, you’re hurting future you’s ability to adapt the codebase. More so because we often hold on, emotionally, to these abstractions we’ve invested so much time and effort into that we waste more time trying to elegantly fit the changes into our elegant solution.
I think that’s the critical bit is that you have to realize that the code will change in the future. Requirements will change, related code will change. If you make abstractions that restrict that ability to change, you’re hurting future you’s ability to adapt the codebase. More so because we often hold on, emotionally, to these abstractions we’ve invested so much time and effort into that we waste more time trying to elegantly fit the changes into our elegant solution.
KISS