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Rich Hickey

What Rich Hickey thinks about simplicity

@rich-hickey · 9 positions · On ppll ↗

Creator of the Clojure programming language and of Datomic. His rationale for Clojure is one of the few language design documents that argues its case rather than describing its syntax.

Rich Hickey did not write this page.

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Only Rich Hickey on simplicity. See everyone on simplicity

4 dated positions, c. 2011, in their own words. Our reading of what Rich Hickey has said — not written or endorsed by them.

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  1. Our readingChoosing what is easy over what is simple buys speed only at the start, the way only a runner in a very short race can sprint from the gun.

    Their wordsSo, what kind of runner uh can run as fast as they possibly can from the very start of a race? Right. Only somebody who runs really short races.

    ↗"Simple Made Easy" - Rich Hickey (2011)youtube.com 1st of 5 in this recording

  3. Our readingSimplicity is a choice, and a system that is not simple is its builders' fault.

    Their wordsThe bottom line is simplicity is a choice. It's your fault if you don't have a simple system.

    ↗"Simple Made Easy" - Rich Hickey (2011)youtube.com 2nd of 5 in this recording

  5. Our readingSimple and easy are different things, and treating simplicity as ease of use is a mistake.

    Their wordsYour sensibilities about simplicity being equal to ease of use are wrong. They're just simply wrong. Right? We saw the definitions of simple and easy. They're completely different things. Right? So, easy is not simple.

    ↗"Simple Made Easy" - Rich Hickey (2011)youtube.com 3rd of 5 in this recording

  7. Our readingSimplifying often leaves you with more things, not fewer: simplicity is about not tangling things together, not about counting them.

    Their wordsAnd recognize that when you simplify things, you often end up with more things. Right? Simplicity is not about counting.

    ↗"Simple Made Easy" - Rich Hickey (2011)youtube.com 5th of 5 in this recording