This chapter is an abridged and edited excerpt from the book Clean Craftsmanship.
It should be obvious, on the face of it, that the best design for a system is the simplest design that supports all the required features of that system while simultaneously affording the greatest flexibility for change. However, that leaves us to ponder the meaning of simplicity.1 Simple does not mean easy. Simple means untangled; and untangling things is hard.
1. In 2012, Rich Hickey gave a wonderful talk titled “Simplicity Made Easy.” I encourage you to listen to it.
What things get tangled in software systems? The most expensive ...
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