I’m not saying Linus isn’t extremely competent, much more so than I and probably anyone reading this will ever be, but in general terms I think anyone arguing against complexity in software design, while in a way “doing the Lord’s work” even in my own opinion, will never be wrong: in the cases where their prophecies never come true, the opinion will still be considered by most to be “correct in theory”, and if something does break down the line, the opinion can be referred to as prophetic.
So, while I agree that we should keep things simple and modular, it’s a thankless job trying to solve issues and being forced to add complexity. Nobody defends complexity, and maybe we shouldn’t, in order to stay on our toes, but defending simplicity is also about the safest thing you can do.
So, while I agree that we should keep things simple and modular, it’s a thankless job trying to solve issues and being forced to add complexity. Nobody defends complexity, and maybe we shouldn’t, in order to stay on our toes, but defending simplicity is also about the safest thing you can do.