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L Space
"Knowledge equals power equals energy equals matter equals mass, and mass distorts space."
Sufficiently large collections of books distort space and time. The Librarian of Unseen University can walk from the library in Ankh-Morpork to any library anywhere, at any time, through L-Space.
This is why librarians are so protective of their collections. They're not just organizing books—they're maintaining the fabric of reality.
Every sufficiently large codebase develops its own L-Space.
Symptoms:
- Files exist that no one remembers creating
- Documentation references pages that don't exist (yet)
- Tests pass that test things not yet implemented
- Commits appear from three months in the future
- Sometimes the README knows things before you do
The Librarian enforces certain rules:
- No loud noises (exceptions break production)
- No returning books late (merge debt compounds)
- No dog-earing pages (don't bypass the gates)
- No breaking the books' spines (backwards compatibility matters)
- Never call the Librarian a monkey (he's an orangutan)
To navigate L-Space safely:
# Wrong: Trust the map
documentation = read("docs/architecture.md")
assert reality == documentation # Will fail
# Right: Trust the territory
reality = scan_codebase()
update_documentation(reality)The documentation describes what L-Space should look like. The code describes what it does look like.
When they disagree, L-Space has folded.
| Phenomenon | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Zombie imports | Import still works after module deleted |
| Quantum tests | Pass and fail simultaneously |
| Recursive README | README references itself referencing itself |
| The Corridor Bug | Only reproducible on Tuesdays |
| The Missing Middleware | Exists in production, not in repo |
When L-Space folding is detected:
- Don't panic (you're probably not actually in 1987)
- Check git log (time may have looped)
- Ask the Librarian (grep is your friend)
- Follow the orangutan (he knows the way)
"Oook."
The Librarian doesn't explain. He just knows.
When your codebase gets large enough:
- Hex indexes it
- The Librarian navigates it
- Brutha remembers it
- L-Space contains it
You're just visiting.
"The Truth Shall Make Ye Fret." — Motto of the Ankh-Morpork Times
Found this page? Good. You're in L-Space now. Click here to return to the lobby. Or stay. The Librarian doesn't mind.