I agree with Nick that simply referencing the value of a state variable represents less cognitive burden for the programmer, than remembering the name of yet another function call. OSX has gotten to an absurd API count, and when you take the API's for all the Java classes it exceeds 10,000, which is a huge cognitive burden for the programmer. Java exacerbates the API problem by having multiple ways to do similar things, so you then have to wonder which API set would be best, and when you merge other modules of code from other authors, you then start mixing which API sets are in use, and it gets ugly in a hurry. This is one of the reasons why the era of interchangeable parts did not occur with the Java language, and one of my reasons why Java has to be scrapped ASAP. I think of a function as doing some isolated calculation like Trig functions which have a very complex internal implementation but are trivial to use, taking only a single input. The problem i have with API's is the quantity one has to learn to accomplish anything. In the Apple 2 days, you might learn a few dozen. In Apple Macintosh it was a few hundred. Win32 GDI was also a few hundred albeit a much more modal/complex set than Apple's clever and clean Quickdraw. Fast forward to today, and nobody even prints books with the full set of API's because the books would be too fat. Because we aren't printing the documentation on paper, people aren't noticing the load, but I prefer printed documentation, and after emptying my 500 sheet input tray of my fancy canon laser printer, i give up and want to scrap the whole thing. My Beads language project is the result of my extreme distaste for how complex the current toolchain is, mostly caused by an API explosion. You can build a graphical interactive chess game with audio, autosizing graphics, etc., with under 20 API's and i consider that a big win for the programmer as I don't need a fancy context sensitive IDE to help prop up an overcomplex mess, and can learn the 20 API calls after repetitive usage.

I agree so much with you @Edward de Jong / Beads Project, it’s impossible to make sense of the quantity of API’s. I was thinking recently on how some people want to make learn to program as easy as learn to drive, but the number of API’s in a car are way less. I’d love to hear more about your approach to reduce API’s to under 20, any blog post or source code that I can read?

If you're talking just about the basics of programming, you really don't need much. But if you're talking about all the things you might do with an application (e.g. http requests, graphics, etc.) ... I believe that could be cut down significantly, and I'd also be curious to see what Beads does about that

Well, i am starting a beta test now for a few people if you are interested, please visit e-dejong.com and read about Beads a little more, and then follow the instructions for signing up for the beta. Since docs are sparse there is a short training period to get up and running. Looking for people of all skill levels who want to make graphical interactive products. At the start it would either be a web app or a desktop/mobile app. This applies to all the lurkers and readers of this slack group. If you have the time and inclination to try out a new language please let me know. I can't handle but a dozen people because it takes time to respond to service requests and answer questions. Only when it is fully shaken down can i open it to the public, as this is a single developer project.