About this episode

Robby speaks with Don MacKinnon about reducing unnecessary complexity in software design.

In this conversation, Robby speaks with Don MacKinnon, Lead Architect and Engineering Manager at Searchcraft, about reducing unnecessary complexity, choosing the right abstractions, and designing software for the long haul.

People in this episode

Host: Robby Russell

Guest: Don MacKinnon

Topics covered

• software design
• simplicity
• complexity
• abstractions
• long-term design

Keywords

• software design
• simplicity
• complexity
• abstractions
• engineering management

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Searchcraft

More episodes of Maintainable

• Rein Henrichs: The Real Work of Maintenance Happens Before You Touch the Code · April 14, 2026 · 55 min
• Russ Olsen: The Hidden Cost of Forgetting Why the Code Looks Like That · March 31, 2026 · 55 min
• Joel Oliveira: Predictability Is a Maintainability Feature · March 17, 2026 · 1h 1m
• Lucas Roesler: The Fast Feedback Loop Advantage · February 3, 2026 · 54 min
• Brittany Ellich: Using AI to Maintain Software, Not Rewrite It · January 21, 2026 · 1h 1m
• Kent L Beck: You’re Ignoring Optionality… and Paying for It · December 9, 2025 · 50 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Maintainable podcast page.