Why Software is Hard 409
GoCanes writes "Salon's Scott Rosenberg explains why even small-scale programming projects can take years to complete, one programmer is often better than two, and the meaning of 'Rosenberg's Law.' After almost 50 years, the state of the art is still pretty darn bad. His point is that as long as you're trying to do something that has already been done, then you have an adequate frame of reference to estimate how long it will take/cost. But if software is at all interesting, it's because no one else has done it before."
Not to take potshots, but (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Not to take potshots, but (Score:5, Funny)
Another law explains it, Entropy.
Nine women cannot have one baby in one month (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Ah! The great unknown... (Score:0, Funny)
Re:Programmers (Score:5, Funny)
Becuase People don't know what they want! (Score:5, Funny)
I would say the reason a lot of projects, even small ones take so much time is that requirements cannot be defined.
Compare building a house to software. Before you build a house
Schedule times can slip but you still know where you are in terms of progression.
If we built this house the way we do software development
First Post! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Programmers (Score:5, Funny)
It is well known that men are superior in the kitchen.
Re:Not to take potshots, but (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Programmers (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Not to take potshots, but (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Programming != Software Engineering (Score:3, Funny)
/sarcasm
Re:Becuase People don't know what they want! (Score:2, Funny)
Perhaps you'll tell the Emperor yourself WHEN HE ARRIVES!
Re:Programmers (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Building with atoms... (Score:3, Funny)
That can't be true. How can there be an internet if you can't order more tubes?
Re:Becuase People don't know what they want! (Score:4, Funny)
Now imagine if every single weld was a unique, custom job that had never been done before, and if any of them are imprefect, the car crashes.
Re:Programmers (Score:5, Funny)
Wow... My first ever post that got modded down as flamebait. Awesome :-) Especially funny, considering the parent post which was blatantly sexist got modded up as insightful.
Software is hard because (Score:2, Funny)
2. You cannot plot a gantt chart of something that has never been done
before.
3. The pointy haired boss buys too many tech magazines.
4. The pointy haired boss buys into the whole development methodologies BS.
5. Only 1 in 20 programmers around you even knows what a array is.
6. The same pointy haired boss buys a bunch of expensive silver bullets from some vendors
and has no choice but to implement it or his ass is grass.
Software is hard because I cannot say any of the above without posting as a Anonymous Coward
and still keep my crappy job.
Re:Not to take potshots, but (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Becuase People don't know what they want! (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Not to take potshots, but (Score:3, Funny)
Really? I found this in one of the leaked Microsoft emails:
Mr Ballmer's To Do List