Recently I've been digging into the #lesscode movement, which proposes that software tools exist to solve real problems—a piece of code that doesn't solve a problem is just waste. It also implies that frugality is a trademark of great designs; we should use it as an inspiration to create elegant software that focuses on solving the problem at hand.
This is related with other ideas like lean manufacturing: focus all effort in the things that add value, and reduce everything else. This management philosophy was started by Toyota in the ’50s and later evolved to a business methodology called lean thinking, a way to apply the idea—of delivering more value while eliminating waste—to business in general.
While both lesscode and the lean methodologies share the idea of creating something valuable and cutting down the waste, lesscode has a deeper emotional perspective. As a developer, you are responsible for any complexity in the solution.
It's by embracing the constraints—both natural and self-imposed, such as aiming for a great design—and gaining a sense of minimalism, that one is able to discover elegant and simple solutions, and find freedom.
Freedom from bloated frameworks, cargo-cult programming, and the fear of not understanding. Freedom to rid your code out of excess and complexity, and focus on what matters.
