Configuration files are a form of active externalism. By configuring software, I am able to reduce the overhead of setting up an environment every time I do a repetitive task. I am externalizing the setup, along with my implementation philosophy for a given tool. This is a tremendously powerful pattern, but there is a trade-off:
- Potential efficiency gains
- Less /behavioral boilerplate/[fn:1] in the process after setup
- I lose muscle memory and familiarity from manually setting things how I want every time.
- Incremental deviation from native best-practices or intended use of tools
- Lost opportunities for learning
[fn:1] /TODO/ Explore the concept of behavioral boilerplate and potentially write a note about it