Talk:KISS principle

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You have new messages (last change).
  • "it Simple, Stupid". Hey Maybe" why is "hey" in there? its kinda like it just got stuck in there.86.133.96.174 20:23, 27 December 2005 (UTC)Siam
  • I think that the 'short and simple' definition is more logical, as it explains the abbreviation along two key dimensions: length (low) and complexity (low). The 'simple, stupid' is not nearly as descriptive or powerful to drive towards an optimal solution, and hence the higher content level of the 'short and simple' explanation should dictate that that explanation be used.
  • My addition about 1980 and Army comes from this page: http://www.biblehelp.org/evolution.htm86.133.96.174 20:23, 27 December 2005 (UTC)Vrykolaka
  • I agree. In addition, the word 'stupid' is a relative value judgement, where the words 'short' and 'simple' are more easily measured. Thus, "keep it short and simple" is more logical as well as being more objective.
  • I've heard "Keep It Simple, Silly" used as a euphamism for "Keep It Simple, Stupid".86.133.96.174 20:23, 27 December 2005 (UTC) Anon poster
    • It doesn't matter whether or not you believe that "Keep it Simple, Stupid" isn't logical: that is the only way I have ever previously heard it used, and this wiki should be based upon the truth, not what you wish to be truth. KISS!86.133.96.174 20:23, 27 December 2005 (UTC) Another anon poster.
  • The instruction creep example seems to have been deleted. These articles exist, however they do not seem to fit the exact context mentioned:

This is getting far too complicated ;) 86.133.96.174 20:23, 27 December 2005 (UTC) Quinobi 12:08, 20 Jun 2005 (UTC)

  • Keep is Simple and Succint.
  • Someone might want to mention that this is a popular maxim of Alcoholics Anonymous and other self-help groups. It's not just about geeks.

Contents

[edit] The recent edits

  • I made that second paragraph into a list because it seemed a bit unwieldy, i don't know how many of these were originally in the article or have been randomly added, but i found it tough reading so it's now a list (all the original content is there except for 'covertly misogynistic', i think 'sweetie' is just meant to be cute.
  • cos this article is well on the way to what happens when the KISS principle is ignored, i think the first 2 (cos they're not useful) and possibly the last one on the list (because it doesn't make any sense) could be edited out. I agree it's getting too complicated - maybe it could cite itself as a negative example :p
  • 'keep it simple and straight-forward was kept out of the list and bolded to give it similar status to Stupid, per the discussion above, the rest are alternatives or specific uses. as for which is the 'proper' definition, or whether it's really a euphemism or whatever, i don't think anybody knows.
  • I moved the reference in the first sentence to creeping featurism to the 'modern usage' section, as the article seems to originally have been about software development, but is more general now. Moogsi 15:26, 7 September 2005 (UTC)
    • No problem! All Wiki articles develop "cruft" as they are edited over and over again in a piecemeal fashion. Every so often, one needs to come along and do a global re-editing such as you did.
Atlant 14:12, 8 September 2005 (UTC)
  • Keep It Simple Stupid is kind of a stock term in Narcotica Anonymous.207.157.121.50 05:02, 24 October 2005 (UTC)mightyafrowhitey

[edit] Etymology

Perhaps it is applicable to refer to the following statement made by Antoine de Saint-Exupér: "Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." This statement is often quoted when the KISS principle is discussed within the context of network protocol design

Sorry, forgot to sign: Macfreek 15:15, 29 November 2005 (UTC)


[edit] Application

[The story is told of T. A. Edison putting a brand new engineer with a bright and shiny degree to the test by asking him to compute the volume of a very irregular vessel. After several hours, the engineer triumphantly produced his calculations. Whereupon, Edison simply filled the vessel to the brim with water and proceeded to pour the water from the irregular vessel into a graduated container. The engineer was not off by a whole order of magnitude.]

Why "not off"? This sentence is unclear. Does it mean, playfully, that the engineer wasn't *too* far off? Or was the not accidentally included? Also, why is this anecdote in brackets? Ckamaeleon 06:46, 16 January 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Why not apply Occams Razor

The discussion about what the second "s" might stand for is irrelevent. Why not apply Occams Razor to it. KIS = Keep It Simple, and that says it all.<<

The last "S" is neccesary because engineers (the place I learned it) are a deprecating breed. Occam's razor would remove the shame element. Sheesh, what an easily misapplied tool.

So what does the second "C" in neccessary stand for? Or is this just necessary for engineers?

[edit] complexification?

(This is my first contribution to Wikipedia. If this is in the wrong place, you have my sincere apologies. I didn't want to edit other's content.)

Under Application: Should we be using "complexification" here? Yes, it's a word we use in mathematics, something about vector spaces, but I don't like beating up the language like this. This can be said using words that already exist in common speech.

And before we kick off a side discussion about "dumbing down" speech, I'm all for keeping expectations high. I just don't like inventing words, or inventing meanings for words, especially those that have a precise application.

Thanks

[edit] Unreferenced

This entire article is unreferenced. Cite references to assist the student and to improve the reliability of the article in the mind of a critical reader. --71.134.8.83 15:22, 2 September 2006 (UTC)

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