Just as 37 Signals had extracted the Rails framework from the Basecamp code, it extracted a design philosophy from the Basecamp experience, encoded in a handy series of aphorisms: “Less software.” “Say no by default.” “Find the right people.” “Don’t build a half-assed product, build half a product.” These are buzz phrases designed for quick consumption via presentation slides, but together they constitute a coherent approach to software development—call it pragmatic minimalism. It may not satisfy the yen to change the world that motivates so many programmers. You could criticize it as an
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