Over the past few decades, the software that enables us to be productive with our computers has become increasingly sophisticated and complex. Today's UI designers are faced with the challenge of devising graphical user interfaces that are easy to grasp and use, yet still provide access to a wide range of features. Here are some ideas about the nature of GUI complexity, followed by a couple of thoughts on simplicity that might just surprise you.
It has already sparked an interesting discussion over there. If you're interested in these things and/or want to influence what my next article should be about, check out the comments on OSNews.
Christoffer/ephracis has already contributed a very insightful response -- recommended reading.