Comments on: 97 things … http://www.crazymcphee.net/x/2009/02/27/97-things/ programming idiom and methodology Tue, 24 Aug 2010 08:56:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Robert http://www.crazymcphee.net/x/2009/02/27/97-things/comment-page-1/#comment-81 Robert Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:11:50 +0000 http://www.crazymcphee.net/x/?p=196#comment-81 Ben - at least one reason is that it's _easier_ to be "clever". Introducing complexity into a solution is trivial, and nearly always solves the immediate local problem being looked at. Keeping track of all the consequences added into the global problem is difficult. As developers, we tend to design solutions in such a way that adding or extending the solution is a solvable problem. However, you can't add simplicity - simplicity is achieved by removing things. Working out what can be safely removed, and what can't, is hard. Particularly if you don't have an intimate understanding with the problem domain _and_ with the technology. Finally - in mathematics, you have a bunch of people who get paid to look for ways to take existing solutions and make them simpler. In software, there is no such luxury. Ben – at least one reason is that it’s _easier_ to be “clever”. Introducing complexity into a solution is trivial, and nearly always solves the immediate local problem being looked at. Keeping track of all the consequences added into the global problem is difficult.

As developers, we tend to design solutions in such a way that adding or extending the solution is a solvable problem. However, you can’t add simplicity – simplicity is achieved by removing things. Working out what can be safely removed, and what can’t, is hard. Particularly if you don’t have an intimate understanding with the problem domain _and_ with the technology.

Finally – in mathematics, you have a bunch of people who get paid to look for ways to take existing solutions and make them simpler. In software, there is no such luxury.

]]> By: Ben http://www.crazymcphee.net/x/2009/02/27/97-things/comment-page-1/#comment-79 Ben Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:31:28 +0000 http://www.crazymcphee.net/x/?p=196#comment-79 This one alone makes me want to read the book: http://97-things.near-time.net/wiki/dont-be-clever Too many developers get bitten and bite others in the arse trying to be clever by showcasing their intelligence instead if implementing the _right_ solution... The odd thing is that in the field of mathematics you get points for _avoiding_ complexity -- most clear / elegant solution wins. Why is it that developers have such a big insecurity about their intellect that they need to show off how many frameworks or language quirks they know? This one alone makes me want to read the book: http://97-things.near-time.net/wiki/dont-be-clever

Too many developers get bitten and bite others in the arse trying to be clever by showcasing their intelligence instead if implementing the _right_ solution…

The odd thing is that in the field of mathematics you get points for _avoiding_ complexity — most clear / elegant solution wins.

Why is it that developers have such a big insecurity about their intellect that they need to show off how many frameworks or language quirks they know?

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