alt Hacker NewsYAGNI is mostly an answer to someone that says "let's create this abstraction", but can't argue why it's really needed. If you can't argue about why you need an abstraction, the best strategy is to not create it. Because removing it afterwards may be more costly than implementing it (if it ever get done).
It's not an objective answer that "you really not gonna need that". It's more "No clear explanation about that abstraction? You ain't gonna need it".
Look at the article itself:
> Chet said, “You don’t understand. We’re definitely going to need it. See, here’s an example…”
> Me (interrupting), “You aren’t going to need it.”
> Chet, get frustrated, “But we really are…”
> Me, “You aren’t going to need it.”
This is a clear example of YAGNI being used when the dev, actively, does not care if the other person has any argument to defend it will be needed.
YAGNI itself is badly designed, it gives the wrong answer. It should be "Build Thing Carefully": no abstraction if no argument, abstraction if no good argument beyond "YAaGnNIii".
And I know devs would just say "but devs who don't listen is super rare", but it is not true: you probably read the article and did not flinch, not noticing that it's a clear situation where the dev actively refuse to listen to the arguments. How many time did you witness or participate to such situation and still think it never happens?
At the end, I don't understand: just do "Build Thing Carefully", where what you built is well-thought, and not only you get YAGNI for free, but you also avoid the problem with refusing to build something that is needed.