I'm surprised by how defensive the comments are here. They seem out of place, especially on "Hacker" News, an entity whose name by definition emphasizes thinking outside of the box. Frankly the post seems spot on regarding providing multiple examples (1 hypothetical and humorous, 1 general, and 1 specific) of how "engineering" minds' over thinking causes them to be outperformed by "simpler" minds and more obvious solutions. Even his string example could be kept obvious and simple by saying, "Measure the circumference, divide by 11, mark on string at regular intervals, cut to lines," and I'm fairly confident it would still be the best answer.
Any post-sophomoric software engineer will lament an over-designed system they helped create, lauded for its superior design, only to have it become unwieldy and unmanageable under its own monstrous complexity, and then refactored to a far simpler and more intuitive solution. It's no coincidence KISS is taught in every Engineering 101 class across the country.
I found the article to be light and refreshing, reminding me that as an engineer, often I am my own worst enemy...
Or the very least, the enemy of that tragic racquetball launcher I built in Freshman engineering that _literally_ crumpled under its own weight on demo day. Lol.
Any post-sophomoric software engineer will lament an over-designed system they helped create, lauded for its superior design, only to have it become unwieldy and unmanageable under its own monstrous complexity, and then refactored to a far simpler and more intuitive solution. It's no coincidence KISS is taught in every Engineering 101 class across the country.
I found the article to be light and refreshing, reminding me that as an engineer, often I am my own worst enemy...
Or the very least, the enemy of that tragic racquetball launcher I built in Freshman engineering that _literally_ crumpled under its own weight on demo day. Lol.