What do you think?
Rate this book
simplicity: sustainable, humane, and effective software development
Software development is inherently complex, but it needn't be as complicated as we make it. Learn to recognize and deal with the gnarly stuff, and your job is simpler, your code is easier to create and to work with, and you are more effective. You won't find a bunch of rules, practices, and clever acronyms here. There are no best practices, because there's no such thing as a best practice. You'll cut through real-world complexities to discover and amplify what works best for you in your current context.
Twenty-nine practices. They’re not about changing the world, or your team, or your company. They are about you, and how you can make your work simpler, more humane, and more effective. And, unlike methodologies that get imposed on you, these are all things you can control for yourself.
Reduce bloat. Communicate better with fewer meetings. Optimize your environment and tools. Plan for an uncertain future. Reduce confrontations. Synthesize fresh ideas. And let’s not forget the code. Flip the role that data plays to simplify your source code and make it easier to work with.
Simplicity doesn’t mean simplistic or naïve. It means producing work that is easy to understand and change, and that somehow feels right. It means making the stuff you create tidy and intuitive to work with; you focus on what’s meaningful and eliminate distractions. You embrace clarity and minimalism, stripping away the unnecessary to reveal what truly matters.
Simplicity is not absolute. What is simple to one person may not be to another. So this book has no rules. Instead, it looks at what makes development complex and then illustrates approaches you can take toward simplification.
Simplicity isn't the way you do things; it’s the spirit with which you do them. It's about you, and what works for you.
Twenty-nine practices. They’re not about changing the world, or your team, or your company. They are about you, and how you can make your work simpler, more humane, and more effective. And, unlike methodologies that get imposed on you, these are all things you can control for yourself.
Reduce bloat. Communicate better with fewer meetings. Optimize your environment and tools. Plan for an uncertain future. Reduce confrontations. Synthesize fresh ideas. And let’s not forget the code. Flip the role that data plays to simplify your source code and make it easier to work with.
Simplicity doesn’t mean simplistic or naïve. It means producing work that is easy to understand and change, and that somehow feels right. It means making the stuff you create tidy and intuitive to work with; you focus on what’s meaningful and eliminate distractions. You embrace clarity and minimalism, stripping away the unnecessary to reveal what truly matters.
Simplicity is not absolute. What is simple to one person may not be to another. So this book has no rules. Instead, it looks at what makes development complex and then illustrates approaches you can take toward simplification.
Simplicity isn't the way you do things; it’s the spirit with which you do them. It's about you, and what works for you.
154 pages, Paperback
Published July 22, 2025
5 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 16, 2025
All in all a valuable book. Lot's of different ideas big and small but mostly small. :-)
Here are some quotes:
Ward Cunningham coined the phrase, “Do the simplest thing that could possibly work.” That’s not just a way of writing code; it applies to everything we do.
p. 11
Eleven lines of code should not be a dependency
p. 27
If a framework gives you options, it contains things you don’t need
p. 34
Deliver incremental value, not features
p.38
The only good meeting is a well-prepared one
p. 59
flip your meetings. Before you even announce the meeting, prepare materials that you’ll give to attendees before they arrive. These materials will cover any background they need, so everyone can hit the ground running once they’re together.
P. 62
So when my spidey-sense fires, and I can’t immediately put my finger on the cause, I take a break. Sometimes I walk, or start to doodle, or do some tidying. Often, the thing that triggered the incident just pops into my head.
p. 138
I care about two main things:
- Is it simple to read
- Is it simple to edit?
- Can I: Find things quickly? See the structure at a glance? Add and remove things with the minimum number of collateral updates?
P. 175
What was the last element is now in the middle, and it has no comma after it, so we get an error. With a trailing comma, however, the last element isn’t special, and the list can be manipulated any way you’d like.
P. 186
As mentioned before, nothing spectacular but lots of small ideas. Not every idea is helpful and relevant for your current state. That's why it might make sense to read the book in five years. (Just like almost every other book ;-))
Here are some quotes:
Ward Cunningham coined the phrase, “Do the simplest thing that could possibly work.” That’s not just a way of writing code; it applies to everything we do.
p. 11
Eleven lines of code should not be a dependency
p. 27
If a framework gives you options, it contains things you don’t need
p. 34
Deliver incremental value, not features
p.38
The only good meeting is a well-prepared one
p. 59
flip your meetings. Before you even announce the meeting, prepare materials that you’ll give to attendees before they arrive. These materials will cover any background they need, so everyone can hit the ground running once they’re together.
P. 62
So when my spidey-sense fires, and I can’t immediately put my finger on the cause, I take a break. Sometimes I walk, or start to doodle, or do some tidying. Often, the thing that triggered the incident just pops into my head.
p. 138
I care about two main things:
- Is it simple to read
- Is it simple to edit?
- Can I: Find things quickly? See the structure at a glance? Add and remove things with the minimum number of collateral updates?
P. 175
What was the last element is now in the middle, and it has no comma after it, so we get an error. With a trailing comma, however, the last element isn’t special, and the list can be manipulated any way you’d like.
P. 186
As mentioned before, nothing spectacular but lots of small ideas. Not every idea is helpful and relevant for your current state. That's why it might make sense to read the book in five years. (Just like almost every other book ;-))
April 8, 2025
I read the B2.0 which i believe is the final, or very close to the version that goes to print.
I loved the book, I also love his other books so if you like those I think you will enjoy this one.
I am not primarily a developer, but I am always open to investigate new ways to configure and think about my environment, especially if it involves open source software.
Happy reading!
I loved the book, I also love his other books so if you like those I think you will enjoy this one.
I am not primarily a developer, but I am always open to investigate new ways to configure and think about my environment, especially if it involves open source software.
Happy reading!
December 27, 2025
TLDR;
Nette Ideen, die auch in ein bis zwei Sätzen zusammengefasst werden, die man als Inspiration für Diskussionen im Team verwenden kann. Das stellt den eigentlichen Wert für mich dar. Der Rest hat mich nicht wirklich weiter gebracht.
Generell eher eine Vorstellung der Vorlieben beim Programmieren des Autors (#nomeetings, Vim, Single File, …).
Nette Ideen, die auch in ein bis zwei Sätzen zusammengefasst werden, die man als Inspiration für Diskussionen im Team verwenden kann. Das stellt den eigentlichen Wert für mich dar. Der Rest hat mich nicht wirklich weiter gebracht.
Generell eher eine Vorstellung der Vorlieben beim Programmieren des Autors (#nomeetings, Vim, Single File, …).
December 3, 2025
This book is titled "simplicity", but it could just as well be called "mindfulness". It contains ideas and practices that help you take deliberate steps to improve your craft of software development.
As someone with decades in this industry, it made me reevaluate a few things that have become a rut for me, as well as remind me of things I "know", but don't always remember.
Recommended.
As someone with decades in this industry, it made me reevaluate a few things that have become a rut for me, as well as remind me of things I "know", but don't always remember.
Recommended.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews