The distinction between two main types of simplicity, those of parsimony and elegance, has been a long-standing philosophical topic [1].
In engineering, the so-called KISS principle (first coined as such in the early 20th century) has always had the implication of minimalism and implementation simplicity, in contrast to mere ease of use.
Fred Brooks wrote a famous paper in 1986 [2] perfectly describing the differences between accidental and essential complexity, and of the semantics of complexity management in software projects.
Hickey has said absolutely nothing spectacular, but his name comes up every time from the typing fingers of the historically illiterate whenever simplicity and ease of use are brought up.
[1] http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/simplicity/
[2] http://www.cs.nott.ac.uk/~cah/G51ISS/Documents/NoSilverBulle...