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I suspect a lot of accidental complexity also comes from those who don't really know what they're doing, so instead of focusing on the result, they take a very

I suspect a lot of accidental complexity also comes from those who don't really know what they're doing, so instead of focusing on the result, they take a very roundabout path until they stumble upon a solution. AI and "vibe coding" is going to make that problem much worse. For an interesting example of the outcome of strongly optimising for essential complexity, look at the demoscene. They have done some amazing things that were thought to be impossible.

patapong 1y ago
Interesting. I also think a lot of complexity stems from developers preferring building systems over building products. It is much more satisfying to build somehting that can address many use-cases, even if we are only working on a single use-case. But, this also introduces the cost of complexity as the user/downstream developer is pushed into making the choice of which of the many available paths they want to take. See the eternal urge of gamedevs to build engines instead of building the game.
- brookst 1y ago
  Yep — and it’s hard to argue against. Option value is valuable. Is it worth spending 20% more and de-optimizing for the core use case to support unknown future use cases? I’m not sure there’s a general purpose answer. And if you do stick to purpose-specific design and management asks for a seemingly minor expansion of scope, the “this is a small change, why did we make the system so rigid that it’s expensive to update?” is an uncomfortable conversation.
- pan69 1y ago
  Experienced developers understand the start-up cost associated with building a software product. So, when developers think ahead and architect and design their software for a possible future roadmap and that roadmap doesn't eventuate, they have introduced accidental complexity and they are considered idiots.
CharlieDigital 1y ago
> I suspect a lot of accidental complexity also comes from those who don't really know what they're doing, so instead of focusing on the result, they take a very roundabout path until they stumble upon a solution. I suspect that you are right on this; it often appears as a lack of depth of understanding of the problem being solved for and whether the proposed solution actually solves that problem and solves it in the simplest way possible.

patapong 1y ago

Interesting. I also think a lot of complexity stems from developers preferring building systems over building products. It is much more satisfying to build somehting that can address many use-cases, even if we are only working on a single use-case. But, this also introduces the cost of complexity as the user/downstream developer is pushed into making the choice of which of the many available paths they want to take. See the eternal urge of gamedevs to build engines instead of building the game.

brookst 1y ago
Yep — and it’s hard to argue against. Option value is valuable. Is it worth spending 20% more and de-optimizing for the core use case to support unknown future use cases? I’m not sure there’s a general purpose answer. And if you do stick to purpose-specific design and management asks for a seemingly minor expansion of scope, the “this is a small change, why did we make the system so rigid that it’s expensive to update?” is an uncomfortable conversation.
pan69 1y ago
Experienced developers understand the start-up cost associated with building a software product. So, when developers think ahead and architect and design their software for a possible future roadmap and that roadmap doesn't eventuate, they have introduced accidental complexity and they are considered idiots.

CharlieDigital 1y ago

> I suspect a lot of accidental complexity also comes from those who don't really know what they're doing, so instead of focusing on the result, they take a very roundabout path until they stumble upon a solution. I suspect that you are right on this; it often appears as a lack of depth of understanding of the problem being solved for and whether the proposed solution actually solves that problem and solves it in the simplest way possible.