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> One problem is that people are too macho to admit they have cognitive limits. Yes, I experienced this and it seems to be a real problem, for various reasons:

by mtrn 10y ago

> One problem is that people are too macho to admit they have cognitive limits. Yes, I experienced this and it seems to be a real problem, for various reasons: if it does not look complicated, investors won't like it, won't buy it; if it is too simple to use, people will think I am dumb. If the setup is too simple, people will think I am incompetent, etc. Simplicity is a prerequisite for reliability, not a nice-to-have.

PaulHoule 10y ago
When my son turned 4 or 5 he got obsessed with Rube Goldberg machines which really made me sick to my stomach because at the time I spent all day debugging problems in Rube Goldberg machines.
- abraae 10y ago
  Maybe for some people, building Rube Goldberg machines is an essential prereq to being able to code without building them.
- abraae 10y ago
  Maybe for some people, building Rube Goldberg machines is an essential prereq to being able to code without building them.
astrobe_ 10y ago
Is it a coincidence that both of you almost quoted C. Moore? "There seems to be a propensity to make things complicated. People love to make them complicated. You can see that in television programming you can see it in products in the marketplace, you can see it in internet web sites. Simply presenting the information is not enough, you have got to make it engaging. I think there is perhaps an optimal level of complexity that the brain is designed to handle. If you make it to simple people are bored if you make it too complicated they are lost" http://www.ultratechnology.com/1xforth.htm http://www.ultratechnology.com/1xforth.htm
ArkyBeagle 10y ago
Well, I AM dumb. I am powerless in the face of my own stupidity. Everything I do hinges on the acknowledgement of that fact. And you know what? My stuff works, because I can whack all the complexity down into a manageable ...widget that enforces all the rules for me. I know how to develop enough introspection of such things to keep from having real problems. I'm down to reported bugs where like the file system crashed. No, I think too many people are still trying to win the science fair.
edejong 10y ago
Is it a coincidence that both of you almost quoted Edsger Wybe Dijkstra? "Simplicity is a great virtue but it requires hard work to achieve it and education to appreciate it. And to make matters worse: complexity sells better. " (EWD 896)

by mtrn 10y ago

PaulHoule 10y ago

When my son turned 4 or 5 he got obsessed with Rube Goldberg machines which really made me sick to my stomach because at the time I spent all day debugging problems in Rube Goldberg machines.

abraae 10y ago
Maybe for some people, building Rube Goldberg machines is an essential prereq to being able to code without building them.
abraae 10y ago
Maybe for some people, building Rube Goldberg machines is an essential prereq to being able to code without building them.

astrobe_ 10y ago

Is it a coincidence that both of you almost quoted C. Moore? "There seems to be a propensity to make things complicated. People love to make them complicated. You can see that in television programming you can see it in products in the marketplace, you can see it in internet web sites. Simply presenting the information is not enough, you have got to make it engaging. I think there is perhaps an optimal level of complexity that the brain is designed to handle. If you make it to simple people are bored if you make it too complicated they are lost" http://www.ultratechnology.com/1xforth.htm http://www.ultratechnology.com/1xforth.htm

ArkyBeagle 10y ago

Well, I AM dumb. I am powerless in the face of my own stupidity. Everything I do hinges on the acknowledgement of that fact. And you know what? My stuff works, because I can whack all the complexity down into a manageable ...widget that enforces all the rules for me. I know how to develop enough introspection of such things to keep from having real problems. I'm down to reported bugs where like the file system crashed. No, I think too many people are still trying to win the science fair.

edejong 10y ago

Is it a coincidence that both of you almost quoted Edsger Wybe Dijkstra? "Simplicity is a great virtue but it requires hard work to achieve it and education to appreciate it. And to make matters worse: complexity sells better. " (EWD 896)