Complications
2024-10-04
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I picked up a cheap Chinese hand-wound mechanical pocket watch last weekend. I already own an old Ingersoll Buck watch, but it was in bad shape, so I didn't bother learning how to care for it long-term. This is a new watch, so I decided to actually do some research.
While learning about escapements, jewels and keyless works, I discovered that any feature on a mechanical watch other than indicating the hour, minute and second is called a "complication." These are so called because adding them to a mechanical system makes the system inherently more complicated. Traditionally, the mark of a master watchmaker was the ability to design and build watches with as many complications as possible. The term has even carried over to smartwatches like the Apple Watch.
It would be nice if the word "complication" made it into the world of software. I don't think added functionality in a single monolithic program should be seen as a feature; I view it as merely a complication. Sure, a great programmer might be able to add as many complications to a program as he wants. But simplicity is powerful, and the most useful programs often do only one thing as perfectly as they can. Maybe the word "complication" can better convey the negative aspects of feature creep.
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[Last updated: 2024-10-06]
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