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Simplicity Ain't Easy - Stuart Halloway

ClojureTV · talk · Watch on YouTube

Software architecture & designFunctional programming

What it is

Stuart Halloway argues that simplicity is objective, with a definition and etymology useful to programmers, rather than a subjective buzzword. He shows how this view informs Clojure's design and how to make programs simpler.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN commenters recommend it, alongside Rich Hickey's talk, for its precise definition of simple versus easy and its implications for code design.

  • 5 people recommended it
  • 6 different months
  • 0 strong recommendations
  • first 2013, last 2017

What HN commenters said

  1. “There’s a fair amount of overlap with Rich Hickey’s talk, but both are worth watching”

    Earlier Halloway talk overlapping with Hickey's; both worth watching.

    jacobolus, 2013-04 · Recommendation · in “Ask HN: What's the best technical talk you've heard?”

  2. “I would recommend "Simplicity Ain't Easy" by Stuart Halloway[1]”

    Better explanation of 'simple' via etymology and its misuse.

    JeanPierre, 2013-07 · Recommendation · in “Who Says C is Simple?”

  3. “He talks about his definition of "simple" (by digging into what the original English definition was) and what that means for code.”

    Definition of simple from original English meaning and implications for code.

    dkersten, 2014-05 · Recommendation · in “I don't love the single responsibility principle”

  4. “Some of the importent keynotes from some of the early conjs are really importent”

    One of the key Clojure conference talks on the Clojure way.

    nickik, 2014-12 · Recommendation · in “A farewell note to a programming language”

  5. “Stuart Halloway has a great talk on this called "Simplicity Ain't Easy”

    Argues FP like Clojure is a better-designed OOP without uncontrolled state mutation.

    mindcrash, 2016-05 · Recommendation · in “Ask HN: Relationship between OO and functional programming?”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: clojure, simplicity, software design, rich hickey, functional programming

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