A lot of the commenters need to read http://www.paulgraham.com/avg.html http://www.paulgraham.com/avg.html (the section titled 'The Blub Paradox' is particularl

A lot of the commenters need to read http://www.paulgraham.com/avg.html http://www.paulgraham.com/avg.html (the section titled 'The Blub Paradox' is particularly relevant, but the entire essay is fantastic). In addition, the concepts of essential complexity and accidental complexity are addressed quite comprehensively in Fred Brooks' essay 'No Silver Bullet' (Google it).