Being direct is good. But ‘too complex, refactor’ as an explanation is just one word longer than ‘fuck off’. You need to explain in detail why the solution is bad and which parts should be changed, in this case it just shows that the reviewer did not actually read the code.
The problem there is not the directness, but the terseness. This is something I had to learn myself, and fortunately was able to get feedback from colleagues who appreciated my directness and wanted more elaboration.
What’s the alternative to being direct? Being indirect? Dropping hints? Spreading a rumor?
Being direct is good. But ‘too complex, refactor’ as an explanation is just one word longer than ‘fuck off’. You need to explain in detail why the solution is bad and which parts should be changed, in this case it just shows that the reviewer did not actually read the code.
The problem there is not the directness, but the terseness. This is something I had to learn myself, and fortunately was able to get feedback from colleagues who appreciated my directness and wanted more elaboration.