I think it's interesting that he considers flexibility so important. The first thing I look for is a working program. I'd say about 70% of the software I've run into doesn't completely work. Sometimes software just outright bombs (not the most common case, sometimes it flops around on the ground before it dies). Hell, I've had the gorey displeasure of having to fix a couple of programs written and abandoned by a sloppy coder.

Sometimes I wonder how software ever even makes it past a client without being evaluated to see if it works. I've seen plenty of time and money spent on programs that don't work.

I say, if you don't have something simple that works, then you definitely won't have something flexible/complicated that works. I've seen plenty of flexible programs that haven't worked all because somebody worried about the chrome before the engine.

Just an opinion from a guy who's had his share of deadlines.

smiles

PS If flexibility is so darned important, then I think no one would write one-liners.