John Ousterhout emphasizes that the primary challenge in software design is managing complexity. He defines complexity as 'anything related to the structure of a software system that makes it hard to understand and modify the system.' This complexity inevitably increases over time, making it crucial for developers to adopt strategies to manage and reduce it. Ousterhout argues that the most significant limitation in writing software is our ability to understand the systems we create. As systems evolve and acquire more features, they become more complicated, leading to slower development and more bugs. He suggests that good development tools can help manage complexity, but ultimately, simpler designs are necessary to build more powerful systems before complexity becomes overwhelming. | John Ousterhout | A Philosophy of Software Design

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Managing Complexity

John Ousterhout emphasizes that the primary challenge in software design is managing complexity. He defines complexity as 'anything related to the structure of a software system that makes it hard to understand and modify the system.' This complexity inevitably increases over time, making it crucial for developers to adopt strategies to manage and reduce it. Ousterhout argues that the most significant limitation in writing software is our ability to understand the systems we create. As systems evolve and acquire more features, they become more complicated, leading to slower development and more bugs. He suggests that good development tools can help manage complexity, but ultimately, simpler designs are necessary to build more powerful systems before complexity becomes overwhelming.

-- John Ousterhout