From reading k&#x2F;q code (or even C code written like the J Incunabulum <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.jsoftware.com&#x2F;jwiki&#x2F;Essays&#x2F;Incunabulum" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.jsoftware.com&#x2F;jwiki&#x2F;Essays&#x2F;Incunabulum</a>), I generally find that it may take me 10x as long to fully understand it due to density and my lack of proficiency, but that still makes me an order of magnitude more efficient than reading (and scrolling!) through the 100x longer mainstream code, often spread out over multiple files and directories. Better yet, referring back to a piece of code I have already read is even faster - I am not hunting or scrolling for anything.<p>I recently experimented with writing a web application in q while limiting myself to a single screenful of code - the efficiency is amazing! I am still trying to figure out what factors contribute, but it reminds of solving math problems. Write down what you know and stare at it - no distractions.