#simplicityfirst

Chris Woody Woodruffcwoodruff
2025-05-19

New chapters just dropped!

Chapters 15–17 of Razor Pages Reimagined with htmx are now available, focusing on enhancing the user experience with hx-indicator, hx-select, hx-vals, and more.

Build smarter, simpler Razor Pages apps without drowning in JavaScript.

aspnet-htmx.com/

You don't need a framework or a tool,
You need a mirror in this dependency-driven development.

Simplicity is the key. But instead, many are choosing a janitor's life.
Gluing dependencies like it's glitter on a kindergarten project.
It’s not that AI struggles with simplicity. It just learned it from you.

Developers today worship frameworks like ancient cults, adding layers, tools, plugins, and just a sprinkle of hope. A microservice? No. It's a monolith in disguise. 10,000 custom lines of over-abstracted ceremony just to say "Hello, World".

We summon demons. And each dependency is a pact we don't read before signing. Scary, we understand more of the framework than of our programming language.

Today, I wrote a chatbot. 100 lines. Pure Java. No feign, no Eureka, no YAML in sight. It compiles to a native executable. It runs. It lives. It doesn't cry at night. It will stay forever. No .sdkmanrc, no dependabot, no excuses, never legacy.

The more tools you add, the more you suffer. Onboarding grows, maintenance creeps, code rots, metadata multiplies… and actual work quietly leaves the room.

Good services run in the background without much maintenance. No bugs, no Incidents and nearly forgotten.

Don't Keep debating the fastest library while the glue makes it slow anyway.
The real costs are humans. Slow, expensive, and prone to burnout.
Not the €200/Month for 20 more bloated zoo of extra instances.

#JavaWithoutCrying
#KillTheGlue
#DependencyHell
#SimplicityFirst
#CodeMinimalism
#MicroserviceMadness
#FrameworkCult
#CeremonialCode
#LegacyProof
#DevRealTalk
#BurnTheYAML
#OnboardingNightmare
#CodeOverConfig
#NoExcusesCode
#AIReflectsUs
#SoftwareSins
#TheRealTechDebt
#LeanCodeWins
#Coding
#programming

Graph showing how maintenance, complexity, legacy, onboarding time and code increases a lot by too many tools
Chris Woody Woodruffcwoodruff
2025-04-21

What if writing simpler code could help save the planet?

In my latest essay, I explore how the Simplicity-First initiative aligns with Green Software principles, less complexity, less energy, and less carbon.

Read here simplicity-first.dev/aligning-

Chris Woody Woodruffcwoodruff
2025-03-30

Struggling with overcomplicated systems that break under pressure?

Discover how The Simplicity Code blends intelligent architecture with resilience and scalability—without the complexity.

simplicity-first.dev/intellige

True Engineering Isn't about using tools.

It's in the questions.

Too often, I see "engineering" reduced to assembling frameworks like IKEA furniture, follow the docs, trust the tool, ship it. But real engineering begins where the documentation ends.

Do you know what that smart-syntax language is doing under the hood?
Do you know how your beloved build tool behaves when it comes to automations and generic CI/CD pipelines?
Do you know what your "schema-less" database sacrifices when concurrency climbs?
Do you know how many runtime hacks exist to make your "native" build work seamlessly?
Do you know how your framework manages threads… or fails to?

Many don't. And that's the problem.

We've built castles on sand because the sand came with good tutorials. Engineering isn't about how much you can plug in. It's about how much you understand, especially the parts no one talks about.

If you're not asking, "What isn’t being said?"
You're not engineering. You're just believing and praying.
AI is a perfect example of many people which hype it but don't understand it.
You have incidents, bugs, complexity, legacy and need time for maintenance or migrations? Then you build your system wrong. Technology should help and not hinder us. We need to focus on simplicity, not on overengineering.

#TrueEngineering #ThinkBeforeYouCode #SoftwareCraftsmanship #QuestionEverything #BeyondTheFramework #UnderstandTheTools #CodeWithPurpose #SimplicityFirst #CleanArchitecture #DevMindset #EngineeringNotAssembling #TechWithoutMyth #UnderTheHood #CI_CDReality #AutomationTruths #NoMoreMagic #AskTheRightQuestions #AIWithoutUnderstanding #OverengineeringKills #LegacyByDesign #BuildForSimplicity #MinimalistTech

A cook which is just heating up industry food
Chris Woody Woodruffcwoodruff
2025-03-17

Simplicity isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about unlocking opportunities. Complexity slows decisions, hides innovation, and creates unnecessary friction. A Simplicity-First mindset clears the noise, making it easier to see and act on what truly matters.

simplicity-first.dev/seizing-o

Chris Woody Woodruffcwoodruff
2025-03-17

Complexity kills efficiency. Simplicity wins.

The Simplicity-First approach helps businesses reduce costs, move faster, and gain stakeholder buy-in. If a solution can't be explained in one sentence, it's too complicated.

simplicity-first.dev/unlocking

Client Info

Server: https://mastodon.social
Version: 2025.04
Repository: https://github.com/cyevgeniy/lmst