On Simplicity in Code

The best code I've written is often the code I've deleted.

There's a particular satisfaction in refactoring a complex solution into something elegant and simple. Not simplistic—simple. There's a difference.

Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

This applies to code as much as it does to design. Every line of code is a liability. It needs to be maintained, understood, and debugged. The fewer lines that achieve the same goal, the better.

The Challenge

The hard part isn't writing simple code initially. It's having the discipline to refactor complex code into simple code when you discover a better way.