Think about it in terms of each choice you make. I have a simple solution and a complex solution. Does the simple solution meet the requirement(s) before me? I

Think about it in terms of each choice you make. I have a simple solution and a complex solution. Does the simple solution meet the requirement(s) before me? If so, I prefer it. Let's move on to the next requirement and consider my options again. The alternative might be to look at your requirements, but choose a complex solution (over a simple one) because you think it might meet other requirements, either ones that have not yet been identified or ones you think are likely to happen in the future. Are there times that the more complex solution wins? Probably. Consider you want to write a blog. You know that you can create an HTML (text) file and slap it on a web server and your blog has started. But if you've done this before, you might also know that you can throw WordPress on your server for a little more up front pain. You know you want comments and word clouds and date/time stamps and navigation. So you choose the complex solution. (You also know that you know face potential security implications, upgrades, dealing with users causing trouble with comments, having the PHP/MySQL infrastructure/hosting requirements...) Maybe you just wanted to dump your thoughts to the internet. Maybe the text file approach was better... It may just be another way to say "avoid gold-plating your software."