In the 70s and 80s, data systems (programming languages, applications) had to run within cramped hardware constraints. Memory and computing were incredibly limited by today’s standards.

I am quite sure that these limits vastly simplified the designs of the software of those times. And because of that simplicity, those systems were generally more fun and engaging to work with than the ones we have today.

Today, we are awash with memory and processing. I think that’s the main reason for the vast complexity of most existing data systems.

Our own mental hardware is still as limited as the one we had in the 70s and 80s.

The causal chain I propose goes:
– Hardware constraints forced simplicity onto designers.
– Simplicity is necessary for our brains.
– In the absence of hardware constraints, designers mostly let go of simplicity.

I’m finally understanding that the appeal that I find in old systems is not nostalgia. Rather, it’s longing for a context that teaches and stimulates simplicity in design.