[srett]

This is one of the things that get all weird the more I think about it.

Trying to define an objective term like "simple" is of no use if you can't map it to something in human perception. Let's say we have some all-knowing oracle that can tell us which algorithm for problem X is the simplest one. If nobody would agree, what is the point? Or, if 51% of programmers would say A is simplest while the other 49% consider algorithm B more simple, should we just go "yay majority" and call it a day? In reality we have no way of knowing which one is objectively most simple, because at least regarding this domain, we as humans are unable to make an objective judgment.

Is the simplest solution always the one with the least lines of code? Least number of classes? Singletons vs static classes? Recursive approach vs. iterative approach? C style linked lists (next-pointer in data type) vs. "proper" list class? In general: Could we formalize this, ie. come up with an algorithm how to determine how simple code is?

Often times code that is easier to understand might be harder to work with, while more elaborated code with indirections and abstractions is harder to grasp (simply because it's more LoC/classes, just more reading), but once you got familiar with the code base, much easier to work with. So when you say objectively simple, do you mean "simple to understand so you can tell what it does", or "simple to understand wrt maintaining, extending and fixing"? And which kind of simple should I go for when writing code?