How to design to avoid configuration

[bvisness]

Fishbowled on 2021-03-13:
https://discord.com/channels/239737791225790464/707742863076622358/820370649313968130

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Demetri: "I am anti-configuration, and in fact consider configuration a bug not a feature. The designer should just make it good to begin with."

Configuration sucks. How can we avoid it, while still producing software that supports a wide range of behaviors?

Furthermore, is the best solution just to design something good that will make most users happy? Is there a place for limited configuration (e.g. more presentational, showing/hiding, colors)? Are programmatic config systems (a la 4coder) really worth it? And can we all agree that config files are, like, the worst?

Suggested talking points:

• Why configuration at all?
• Downsides of configuration (e.g. fragmented behavior between users (difficulty to teach), steep learning curve, difficult to coherently design)
• Is "good default config" enough? Is it even possible?
• How config systems devolve into crappy forms of programming (with no tooling and usually poor documentation)
• The "it just works" mentality and cases where it breaks down
• Are "plugins" a viable way to give most users the benefits of programmatic config at a lower cost?
• Sub-thesis: Programmatic config systems are a desirable goal but they are rendered too frustrating by piles of accidental difficulty.
• https://twitter.com/rsnous/status/1369571552920965121 (thread)

Participants:

• bvisness
• KawaiiKiwi
• Wayward
• dotbmp
• demetrispanos
• bumbread
• skytrias