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Complex means many, not challenging - https://www.dictionary.com/browse/complex https://www.dictionary.com/browse/complex The most practical measure of complex
by austin-cheney 4y ago
Complex means many, not challenging - https://www.dictionary.com/browse/complex https://www.dictionary.com/browse/complex
The most practical measure of complexity is duplication. Are there two, or more, pieces of code accomplishing the same or a similar job? That is complex. The solution is to refactor the many parts into fewer parts.
- tjr 4y agocomposed of many interconnected parts; compound; composite: a complex highway system. characterized by a very complicated or involved arrangement of parts, units, etc.: complex machinery. I would say you could have a software system with many interconnected parts, and/or with a complicated or involved arrangement of parts, without having duplicate code or duplicated functionality.
- austin-cheney 4y agoDuplication is just one of many potential measures. The end goal though is converting many to few.
- ryanklee 4y agoNo one uses the word complex to mean many. Further, sometimes 1 thing is overloaded in difficult-to-understand ways, and so there should be more things, not fewer. Sometimes there are many things that should be 1 thing. There isn't just one good measurement of complexity, as complexity isn't inherent to things or systems in themselvesas, rather complexity is a feature of perception, which gets confused in all sorts of irreducible ways.
- austin-cheney 4y agoThis popular language author invalidates your comment: https://www.infoq.com/presentations/Simple-Made-Easy/ https://www.infoq.com/presentations/Simple-Made-Easy/
- ryanklee 4y agoThe usage in that case is a term of art. So silly. Again, no one uses the word complex to mean many (except in very narrow circumstances when the new definition that no one uses has to be indicated explicitly in order to prevent confusion given the fact that it is a novel usage).