I've found that with complex systems, the biggest correlation to programming productivity is the amount of debug information available, not the size of the code.
I don't think this point is made often enough. Brevity is a virtue certainly, but ultimately what counts is not LOC, bug counts, iterations/sec etc but features delivered to users. Worse is better reigns supreme here which is why you so often see engineering and design disasters like php, craigslist, myspace, and windows brushing aside far more elegant but less engaging alternatives. For most of us the pride we take in our craft makes this a very hard pill to swallow but swallow it we must.
I don't think this point is made often enough. Brevity is a virtue certainly, but ultimately what counts is not LOC, bug counts, iterations/sec etc but features delivered to users. Worse is better reigns supreme here which is why you so often see engineering and design disasters like php, craigslist, myspace, and windows brushing aside far more elegant but less engaging alternatives. For most of us the pride we take in our craft makes this a very hard pill to swallow but swallow it we must.