Is moving messy code into a function real refactoring, or just boxing?
jimmykoppel · x · 2026-10-14
Engineer Jimmy Koppel raises a pointed question about engineering practice: moving messy code into its own function makes it look cleaner, but does that count as actual refactoring—or just "boxing" the mess away? He challenges the assumption that surface-level tidiness equals genuine structural improvement, prompting reflection on the difference between code that merely looks better and design that actually improved.
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