The most dangerous word in software development
"Just put it somewhere on the server."
"Just add the" Favorites "button to the right of the item."
"Just add [insert a complicated option here] in the settings screen."
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The use of the word “simply” indicates a number of assumptions made. A few months ago, Brad Frost shared some thoughts about what this word has to do with knowledge.
He notes that learning is never as simple as it seems, and he is right. But there is a direct correlation between the amount of your knowledge and the danger of the word "simple." The more you know, the more major problems you solve - and the more assumptions that lie behind this word.
Take the comment "Just post it somewhere on the server." How many times have you heard this? But placing a third-party local project on real servers takes time, money and hard work. Some tiny programs may have inappropriate versions, and this needs to be fixed. For a locally created system, they probably did not foresee the perfect scaling.
“Simply” implies that everything necessary for a function or system is already thought out. Worse, it assumes that all the decisions that need to be made during the development have already been found - and this never happens.
Things change when the concept turns into reality. As Dave Viscus said in a recent Debug release , "everything changes when you touch the body."
The "Favorites" button may look good on the right, but in this place it may be really difficult to press it. What if entering the "Favorites" is not the only possible action? What then happens to the "Favorites" button?
Even if the entry in the "Favorites" is created and tested, you need to go through all the steps again. In real use, does this button bring enough benefit to justify its existence? In the end, "when the function is out, you stick to it . "
When you hear that someone throws the word "simple", be sure to get to the bottom of this statement and find all the assumptions made. Step back and think slowly.
The life and death of your product depends on the decisions found between the emergence of the idea and its implementation, so do not just post something somewhere on the server.
"Just add the" Favorites "button to the right of the item."
"Just add [insert a complicated option here] in the settings screen."
')
The use of the word “simply” indicates a number of assumptions made. A few months ago, Brad Frost shared some thoughts about what this word has to do with knowledge.
The word "just" makes me feel like an idiot. “Just” assumes that I have a certain background, that I studied certain subjects at the university, that I am well versed in certain technologies and read all the right books, articles and reference resources.
He notes that learning is never as simple as it seems, and he is right. But there is a direct correlation between the amount of your knowledge and the danger of the word "simple." The more you know, the more major problems you solve - and the more assumptions that lie behind this word.
Take the comment "Just post it somewhere on the server." How many times have you heard this? But placing a third-party local project on real servers takes time, money and hard work. Some tiny programs may have inappropriate versions, and this needs to be fixed. For a locally created system, they probably did not foresee the perfect scaling.
“Simply” implies that everything necessary for a function or system is already thought out. Worse, it assumes that all the decisions that need to be made during the development have already been found - and this never happens.
Things change when the concept turns into reality. As Dave Viscus said in a recent Debug release , "everything changes when you touch the body."
The "Favorites" button may look good on the right, but in this place it may be really difficult to press it. What if entering the "Favorites" is not the only possible action? What then happens to the "Favorites" button?
Even if the entry in the "Favorites" is created and tested, you need to go through all the steps again. In real use, does this button bring enough benefit to justify its existence? In the end, "when the function is out, you stick to it . "
When you hear that someone throws the word "simple", be sure to get to the bottom of this statement and find all the assumptions made. Step back and think slowly.
The life and death of your product depends on the decisions found between the emergence of the idea and its implementation, so do not just post something somewhere on the server.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/348406/
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