KISS principle
KISS, an acronym for keep it simple, stupid or keep it stupid simple, is a design principle noted by the U.S. Navy in 1960.[1][2] The KISS principle states that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complicated; therefore, simplicity should be a key goal in design, and unnecessary complexity should be avoided. The phrase has been associated with aircraft engineer Kelly Johnson.[3] The term "KISS principle" was in popular use by 1970.[4] Variations on the phrase include: "Keep it simple, silly", "keep it short and simple", "keep it simple and straightforward",[5] "keep it small and simple", keep it simple, soldier,[6] or keep it simple sailor.
Variants[edit]
The principle most likely finds its origins in similar minimalist concepts, such as Occam's razor, Leonardo da Vinci's "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication", Shakespeare's "Brevity is the soul of wit", Mies Van Der Rohe's "Less is more", Bjarne Stroustrup's "Make Simple Tasks Simple!", or Antoine de Saint Exupéry's "It seems that perfection is reached not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away". Colin Chapman, the founder of Lotus Cars, urged his designers to "Simplify, then add lightness". Heath Robinson machines and Rube Goldberg's machines, intentionally overly-complex solutions to simple tasks or problems, are humorous examples of "non-KISS" solutions.
A variant – "Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler" – is attributed to Albert Einstein, although this may be an editor's paraphrase of a lecture he gave.[7]
In software development[edit]
- Don't repeat yourself (DRY)
- Minimalism (computing)
- Unix philosophy
- Arch Linux
- Chartjunk
- List of software development philosophies
- Reduced instruction set computing
- Rule of least power
- There's more than one way to do it
- Worse is better (Less is more)
- You aren't gonna need it (YAGNI)
In politics[edit]
- Keep It Simple Solutions, New Brunswick, a minor political party in New Brunswick, Canada.
- Keep It Straight and Simple Party, a minor political party in South Africa.
See also[edit]
- Concision
- Elegance
- The Fox and the Cat (fable)
- It's the economy, stupid
- Less is more
- Mini survival kit – a minimal "bug-out bag" or survival kit
- Muntzing
- Occam's razor
- Perfect is the enemy of good
- Simple living
- Simplicity
- Ultralight backpacking
- BLUF (communication)
References[edit]
- ^ The Routledge Dictionary of Modern American Slang and Unconventional English, Tom Dalzell, 2009, 1104 pages, p.595, webpage: BGoogle-5F: notes U.S. Navy "Project KISS" of 1960, headed by Rear Admiral Paul D. Stroop, Chicago Daily Tribune, p.43, 4 December 1960.
- ^ The Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang, Eric Partridge, Tom Dalzell, Terry Victor, Psychology Press, 2007, p.384.
- ^ Clarence Leonard (Kelly) Johnson 1910–1990: A Biographical Memoir (PDF), by Ben R. Rich, 1995, National Academies Press, Washington, DC, p. 13.
- ^ Pit & Quarry, Vol. 63, July 1970, p.172, quote: "as in every other step of the development process, follow the KISS principle — Keep It Simple, Stupid."
- ^ "Kiss principle definition by MONASH Marketing Dictionary". 1994-11-18. Retrieved 2016-01-24.
- ^ Officers' Call. Print Media Branch, Command Information Unit, Office, Chief of Public Affairs, HQDA. 1986. LCCN 88655070.
Remember the adage KISS; Keep it Simple, Soldier
- ^ "Everything Should Be Made as Simple as Possible, But Not Simpler". Quote Investigator.
- This article is based on material taken from the Free On-line Dictionary of Computing prior to 1 November 2008 and incorporated under the "relicensing" terms of the GFDL, version 1.3 or later.