Simplicity and XP

I like simple things. Why bother with making something complex if the simple thing works. This reminds me of the story, where NASA spent one billion dollars inventing a pen that would work in space while Russians simply used the pencil. Read more about The billion-dollar space pen myth.

Simplicity is one of the four values of Extreme Programming.

Ken Auer and Roy Miller when defining simplicity in their book Extreme Programming Applied - Playing to win, refer to the original definition by Kent Beck in Extreme Programming Explained; the simple design:

• runs all the tests
• contains no duplicate code
• states the programmers' intent for all code clearly
• contains the fewest possible classes and methods

When speaking of the simplest design, remember that finding the simplest design can be the hardest thing. But it is worth, as once found the design will be so obvious that you will wonder why it took you so long :-)

So, the moral of this short blog of mine is: stick to KISS! (keep it simple, stupid!)