If you're building something with specifications, then what are we even talking about? You know what you need to build so just build that.
But this thread is about what to do when you don't know. "Start the simplest way" is not always the right answer, because you have some information about what you plan or want or hope to build, so you can use that information. Not everything is a set of hyperlinked webpages, and you often know that right away, even when you don't have many details sorted out at all.
I'm not suggesting building a complex system from scratch. I'm suggesting building systems using tools designed to support the kind of system you're building.
Do you think your quote is true in all cases? Or are you implying that choosing to build using a framework implies building a complex system frame scratch?
Consider a different kind of system. Does every triple-A video game evolve from a simple framework-free implementation, or do most of them choose a graphics engine to build on top of? If a game studio chooses Unity from the start, for instance, is it building a complex system that won't work?
How is it any different to choose a web application framework from the start when building a web application?
If you're building something with specifications, then what are we even talking about? You know what you need to build so just build that.
But this thread is about what to do when you don't know. "Start the simplest way" is not always the right answer, because you have some information about what you plan or want or hope to build, so you can use that information. Not everything is a set of hyperlinked webpages, and you often know that right away, even when you don't have many details sorted out at all.