From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,1042f393323e22da X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Thread: 1014db,1042f393323e22da X-Google-Attributes: gid1014db,public X-Google-Thread: 109fba,1042f393323e22da X-Google-Attributes: gid109fba,public From: eachus@spectre.mitre.org (Robert I. Eachus) Subject: Re: Software Engineering and Dreamers Date: 1997/05/23 Message-ID: #1/1 X-Deja-AN: 243435653 References: <5lsjb3$bqc@bcrkh13.bnr.ca> <01bc66fa$ee7910e0$LocalHost@xhv46.dial.pipex.com> Organization: The Mitre Corp., Bedford, MA. Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++,comp.lang.c,comp.lang.ada Date: 1997-05-23T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: In article <01bc66fa$ee7910e0$LocalHost@xhv46.dial.pipex.com> "Nick Roberts" writes: > This sense of realism is excellent, and is frequently the one thing that > makes the difference between a project that succeeds, and one which fails. > And let's face it, the software industry has had its fair share of failed > projects, has it not? > However, I would argue that there is sometimes a flip side to this realism, > in the engineering sciences in general, and computer science in particular. > All (or almost all) the really great leaps forward in computer technology > have come not from great, expensive, laboratories, engaged in highly > directed (commercially orientated) research, but instead from a motley > collection of scatter-brained individuals who had _imagination_. Another facet of software engineering, and actually demonstrated in the project above. The synchronization problem is with a new system, and build 2 needs to provide all the capabilities of the currently fielded system AND integrate with the new system. Enough complexity that you don't want any more. But build three has room for all the customer wants, and new technology. So in this case the build one design has to support evolution, build two is required to integrate with a system that does not yet exist, and build three has room for all the bells and whistles that the original design allows. Quite a spectrum, and a need to keep focused on today's goal. > These 'dreamers' may never have been practical or realistic. But they > invented the science. Noting wrong with dreaming, and in fact the project manager was reacting to features/hooks in the design which are there to support evolution. Our job was to convince him that they were needed--but were for use much later. -- Robert I. Eachus with Standard_Disclaimer; use Standard_Disclaimer; function Message (Text: in Clever_Ideas) return Better_Ideas is...