As computer programs get complicated, two bad things happen. The user cannot form a mental model of what the program is supposed to do or how it is supposed to behave or why it does what it does.
A second programmer cannot figure out how to modify it to fix a bug or add a feature.
Ideally, for open source software, these two people are one and the same.
Open source software should abhor complexity much more than closed source monolithic software. Even at the cost of reduced functionality or ease of use.
Firefox, gnome, openoffice...
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