When Your "Quick Question" Triggers A Novel-Length Response

The moment you realize your "quick question" has unleashed a coding apocalypse. That senior dev typing for 10+ minutes isn't crafting a simple yes/no – they're writing your obituary in documentation form.

Nothing strikes fear into a developer's heart quite like watching those three typing dots continue past the 30-second mark. At that point, you're not getting an answer – you're getting an essay on why your approach is fundamentally flawed, complete with architectural diagrams and references to design patterns you've never heard of.

Pro tip: If you see "senior dev is typing..." for more than 2 minutes, start updating your resume.