[carsongross]

I don't think there there is a good objective definition for simplicity, since a large component of what I'm getting at is subjective and context-dependent, and therefore involves "appropriateness". API design is different than app building is different than container building, etc. This is why good developers are so important.

Regarding APIs, I like them to be layered: http://devblog.guidewire.com/2008/10/05/api-design/ so that code built on top of them can be as simple as possible.

[the_af]

Agreed. That was my point, that simplicity is subjective, so while people seem to agree that simplicity is desirable, they often disagree about where to simplify (which often comes with trade-offs).