I am really good at making guacamole. It’s one of my favorite foods in the world, so I consider myself a little bit of a connoisseur. So I am going to let you in on a little secret to making really awesome guacamole: most people over-complicate things. In fact, I am going to share my recipe with you right now:

• Two ripe avacados
• Juice from one lime
• About one teaspoon salt

Start by mushing the avacados with a little lime juice and salt. Add lime juice until you can taste a hint of lime. Add salt to taste. It’s that simple. When people say that it’s really good and I tell them what’s in it, they suggest lots of ingredients that I could put in it. I could, but sometimes perfection is acheived when there is nothing left to take away.

I am sure there are some lessons to be learned here with writing software. One thing that I’ve learned is to think very carefully before adding a feature to a product. Every feature is a promise and a commitment, and not to be entered into lightly. When cooking, when in doubt, omitting ingredients is better than random substitutions.

I heard somewhere something along the lines of: if you’re not ashamed of your first release, then you’re shipping too late.