The need to simply

Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.

As I delve deeper into building software systems, I’ve come to appreciate the profound beauty in simplicity. I was recently revisiting some of my earlier projects and was intrigued by how often I had over-engineered solutions, adding layers of complexity that, in hindsight, were unnecessary.

The biggest thing that has changed between then and now (at least as far as building software is concerned) is my skill. And this led me to the realization that the ability to simplify complexity is a function of skill. As Leo Babauta said:

Simplicity boils down to two things: identifying the essential and eliminating the rest.

It follows that in order to discriminate between what is essential and what is not, one must have a lucid understanding of the system in question. This understanding is cultivated through experience, practice, and a deep engagement with the subject matter.

There is a common misconception that simplicity is about doing less or cutting corners. On the contrary, most of my old projects have fewer lines of code than my newer ones. Simplicity, to me, is about clarity of purpose and efficiency of design.

My diagnostic criterion for simplicity is this: If I look at a system and decide to add new functionality, and the existing code allows me to do so without signifcant refactoring or intellectual overhead, then it is a simplified one.