Joel Spolsky

1965– · American blogger

Topics: software design, software engineering, engineering leadership, creativity

• The secret of Big Macs is that they're not very good, but every one is not very good in exactly the same way.

  — Joel Spolsky

• If something seems possible, that's probably because someone is already doing it. When something seems that it can't possibly work, nobody tries it. Real innovation happens when someone tries anyway, overlooking an obvious flaw, and finds a way to make an idea work.

  — Joel Spolsky

• People ridiculously overvalue aesthetics and beauty when evaluating products. It's one of the reasons iPods, and, for that matter, Keanu Reeves, are so successful.

  — Joel Spolsky

• Beware of Methodologies. They are a great way to bring everyone up to a dismal, but passable, level of performance, but at the same time, they are aggravating to more talented people who chafe at the restrictions that are placed on them.

  — Joel Spolsky