Having two "composer.json" for production and development ("composer.json" and "composer.dev.json") might keep the "composer.json" simple.
But to do so, we need to set the "COMPOSER" env variable as "composer.dev.json". And It is not the usual usage. That's why there's a "require-dev" directive in composer.json.
So, I would say this simplification brings another complexity.
Let's thin the files again and keep it simple. (Remove "composer.dev.json")
Having two "composer.json" for production and development ("composer.json" and "composer.dev.json") might keep the "composer.json" simple.
But to do so, we need to set the "COMPOSER" env variable as "composer.dev.json". And It is not the usual usage. That's why there's a "require-dev" directive in
composer.json.So, I would say this simplification brings another complexity.
Let's thin the files again and keep it simple. (Remove "composer.dev.json")