While i totally agree with the general sentiment of your post, i'm really not sure about this one.
Or rather, im rly not sure abt dis one ;)
It's all about balance really, and very often this balance is only subjective, even if we generally don't like this idea
Your minima may not be my minima!
var t = this;
and then every time I refer to 't', I save 3 bytes. It's something js compressors can't do, and every byte counts in the end :)
Now, there are some really common ones that are more or less idiomatic. i is iterator, ct is count. That said, those save a lot more than 1 character.
So.... what, you get rid of vowels, web 2.0 style?
"Simplicity" is a relative term, and perhaps inapt; try "convenience", which has more useful connotations.
The lifestyle he describes and the programming style you describe are both, in the final analysis, maximally convenient (ceteris paribus). While not as catchy as "minimalism," I think convenience maximization (or time-debt minimization, as Patrick McKenzie might say) is a worthy objective. Perhaps call it "enlightened laziness" for that added sparkle.
But a minimalist coding style does make you a better programmer.
I really don't mind a few extra Philips screwdrivers, kitchen knives, or pairs of shoes in my house, but I every superfluous bit of code in my repository drives me nuts.
Others say I go overboard and they're probably right, but I can't help myself.
If a 6 character variable name can be shortened to 5 characters without losing meaning, then I do it. Same thing with labels and function names. If I find the same line of code twice, I write a function (but only after whipping myself). Complex If Statements are replaced by Case. Complex Case Statements are replaced by arrays and pointers. Two programs look alike? Replace them with one parameter-driven program. Two forms look alike? Replace them with a flexible form app. Reports? Same thing.
Old data? Archived! Old programs? Archived! Old notes? Archived! And not one trip to Goodwill, just to my e: drive. I'm so proud of myself when I can fit the software needed to run a $100 million company on a 256K thumb drive.
There must be a 12 step program for people like me. But then, by the time I was done with it, it would be a 7 step program.