three software proverbs
Today I was late for lunch. As I walked to the cafeteria, pondering my work, this haiku came to me:
It will take more time:Relaxing the syllable count limit in favor of word count gives each epigram a fuller and more independent expression:
If you touch it, it will break...
Software is wily.
Somehow it always takes longer:Those latter three lines express the way I feel about my chosen craft.
If you touch it, it will break...
Software is a wily opponent.
I think of the middle line as Kempf’s Law of Software. It was a favorite expression of Jim Kempf, who was on the Sun Common Lisp team with me, long ago.
The last line expresses a stance I call “defensive programming”, which is what we programmers do when we take Murphy’'s Law seriously.
i do not understand this poetry. please can you explain it to me so that i can understand.
Posted by Tosin Komolafe on December 10, 2008 at 02:13 AM PST #
That's the belief I had always. Quite apt I must say. Great poem.
Posted by Emmanuel Toko on December 10, 2008 at 09:24 PM PST #
Tosin: Sometimes poetry is subjective or meaningful only to people with relevant common experiences. Most software people have had to double a time estimate, or have made a "trivial" change that broke their program, or have found their code misbehave in surprising ways.
It may help to remember that "wily" means "tricky" or even "maliciously clever".
Toko: Thank you.
Posted by John Rose on December 11, 2008 at 12:24 AM PST #
The first version is better -- making the second line delightfully self-referential.
Posted by Jim on March 20, 2009 at 10:16 PM PDT #