In the talk "Convenience vs Simplicity" by Piotr Solnica at the Red Dot Ruby Conference 2014, the speaker emphasizes the importance of balancing convenience and simplicity in programming, particularly in the Ruby ecosystem. He discusses how the convenience offered by various tools, libraries, and frameworks can lead to growing complexity in code, making maintenance and understanding difficult.

Key Points:
- Introduction to Personal Experience: Piotr introduces himself as a Ruby developer with over seven years of experience, explaining the challenges he faced as projects transitioned from startups to large, complex applications.
- Complexity in Programming: He analyzes the problems caused by complexity that arises from using convenient libraries like ActiveRecord without understanding the underlying intricate mechanics.
- Definitions of Convenience and Simplicity: Piotr distinguishes between convenience—defined as the ability to proceed without difficulty—and simplicity, which is about having clarity and ease of understanding.
- Separation of Concerns: He advocates for handling different concerns, such as validation and persistence, with separate objects rather than bundling them into one, even if that initially seems to increase complexity.
- Data and Behavior: The speaker discusses how using more focused, minimalistic objects can achieve better-defined behavior and less accidental complexity in applications. He compares high-convenience solutions with minimalist tools.
- Relational Model: Piotr explains the relational model's significance, noting that it should not only be about database structures but about how data is managed and structured conceptually within applications. He introduces the Axiom library as an example.
- Implementing Simple Interfaces: The goal is to create a simple way to access and manipulate data using basic principles from set theory rather than over-complicated object models.
- Immutability: He touches upon the advantages of using immutable data structures as a means to prevent complexity and enhance code reliability.
- Pragmatic Advice: While Piotr suggests simpler alternatives to tools like ActiveRecord, he acknowledges that for some situations, especially in established projects, leveraging existing conventions may still be necessary.

Conclusions: Piotr calls for developers to embrace simplicity as a foundational aspect of design, advocating for a thoughtful separation of concerns and cautious use of convenience-focused tools to avoid entrenching unnecessary complexity down the line.