Simplicity often takes a back seat in software engineering. Yet, it is crucial for creating durable and efficient systems.

Crafting simple software requires significant effort. It involves setting high standards and persisting until the simplest and most elegant solution emerges, often recognizable by its beauty and efficiency.

Drawing on over twenty-five years of software engineering experience, this talk explores the pursuit of essential simplicity across various projects, including digital audio recording at the Swiss Parliament services, weather data management, interactive video kiosks, and web app frameworks. Despite the diversity of domains, common patterns about simplicity have emerged, and have helped us get closer to the radical simplicity that we strive for.

While there is no magic formula for simplicity, our real-world examples expose key principles and a philosophy of simplicity that can guide you on your own journey.