> Is this something professional programmers are having trouble with??
Nobody said this.
There is value in thinking about things like this sometimes, because it has long-term consequences for the projects we work on. Even if you're a "professional" programmer (whatever that means), it's valuable to go back to beliefs and knowledge you've established long ago to evaluate whether to change them in the face of new experiences you've made since the last time you've thought about it.
If you think "professional" programmers don't get this sort of thing wrong in some form or another, I have a bridge to sell you.
Why scare quotes though? Professional programmer just means someone who writes software for a living. Software is your profession... there's no doubt what that means , is there??
If you do that, you'll have run into this sort of decision very early in your career, and hopefully will understand the best way to handle it, which IMHO just depends on the language (because certain features lead to different optimum solutions) and the culture around it. But sure, I am happy to discuss fundamental topics like this, that's why I am engaging and asking what others think.
Nobody said this.
There is value in thinking about things like this sometimes, because it has long-term consequences for the projects we work on. Even if you're a "professional" programmer (whatever that means), it's valuable to go back to beliefs and knowledge you've established long ago to evaluate whether to change them in the face of new experiences you've made since the last time you've thought about it.
If you think "professional" programmers don't get this sort of thing wrong in some form or another, I have a bridge to sell you.