[javajosh]

>abstraction is the only weapon we have against complexity

I don't agree with this. We also have stinginess and stubborness as potent weapons against complexity. If we are stingy with our time and effort then we insist on getting much use out of every tool we learn. We are stubborn, and so we do not add new tools quickly, or throw old ones away quickly, and we are skeptical of easy solutions. tldr: first cut away needless complexity, then use abstraction on what remains.

[kaba0]

Do note that I was talking about essential complexity, not accidental. The latter can and should indeed be dealt with.