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The age-old adage “keep it simple” has never been more relevant in the world of technology. In a recent Forbes article, I highlighted the urgent need for software developers to rethink their approach to building digital products.
In today’s era where hardware capabilities have advanced exponentially, we’re no longer forced to mimic the complexity of past eras. In fact, embracing simplicity is not only a more practical solution but also a more robust one.
The truth is that many engineers are stuck in the past. They continue to design software as if they’re still operating in 2008. This is largely due to the misguided notion that mimicking the architecture of giants like Google or Netflix is the key to success. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Let’s face it – these tech behemoths didn’t choose complexity because they wanted to; they were forced to by their own scale. At a certain point, buying more powerful hardware just wasn’t an option. So, they had to invent distributed computing techniques to keep up with demand. But for the rest of us, following in their footsteps is like using a crane to build a birdhouse.
In reality, we can achieve remarkable results by leveraging modern devices and harnessing the power of edge computing. By shifting data processing closer to the user, we can eliminate network delays, improve privacy, and reduce costs. Apple’s approach to offloading tasks like voice recognition or image analysis onto local hardware is a great example of this.
It’s time for us to adopt a more pragmatic approach to software development. We must prioritize maintainability by aiming for fewer moving parts. In other words, the best code is often the code you don’t have to write.
In addition, we should be leveraging modern libraries and tools that are optimized for today’s hardware. This not only saves time but also boosts performance. By doing so, we can avoid the overengineering trap and focus on building systems that are as elegant and powerful as the technology running them.
So, what does this mean in practical terms? It means avoiding the temptation to build software that’s designed to accommodate 10 million users when your product currently serves only 10,000. Instead, design for your current scale while ensuring the system can evolve as needed.
In a world where hardware has advanced 10,000 times faster and simpler, our solutions don’t need to mirror this complexity. We should focus on building systems that are both robust and maintainable.
Source: http://www.forbes.com
