Chapter 5Complexity

Aside from death and taxes, complexity may be the only other sure bet in life. Complexity always grows over time. In our industry, it’s the unavoidable consequence of maturing software. Unless we’re willing to remove features from an application, there is simply no way to sidestep it.

images/andertoons_5710.jpg

If we can’t get rid of complexity, our next job is to stifle its growth. We need to recognize when complexity isn’t necessary and develop a finely tuned nose for it. If we know what it smells like and if we can pick up the all-too-familiar stench from every nook and cranny of our software, we’ll be better off in the end.

Get The Developer's Code now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.