[alex_c]

I understand the author's motivations, but I disagree with the conclusion.

The simplest solution is often also the most flexible. I don't think you can argue that simple is bad design.

During requirements and feature planning, I have often found that features get more and more complicated until - guess what - things click, similarities become obvious, and you end up with a solution that's a lot more simple - and more flexible - than you expected. You don't always get that "aha!" moment, and you can't spend your entire development cycle chasing it, but it is often there.