Microsoft and Gall’s Law

Interesting post from Marc Hedlund regarding Microsoft’s stated goal of building data centers to rival Google’s. He invokes a quote from John Gall, known as Gall’s Law, which I’d never heard before but which I like very much:

“A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked…. A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be patched up to make it work. You have to start over, beginning with a working simple system.”
—John Gall

★ Thursday, 4 May 2006