Eponymous laws of software development

A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked. Eponymous laws as persuasion tools and other tricks for. The eponym gave apparent meaning to the mysterious names of tribes, and sometimes, as in the sons of noah, provided a primitive attempt at ethnology as well, in the genealogical relationships of eponymous originators. Or at least a more knowledgeable one, and really, arent those the same. Probably the most famous law in computing, this law states. Apr 19, 2016 still, by keeping in mind these 15 laws of software development, you might just make yourself a better developer. May 17, 20 some laws of software development despite all the advances in software tools, there seem to be several enduring truths about software development. Bill gates of microsoft would update his software and consume all this new power. Jul 21, 2008 the reason i class this as a software development law is that it points out the futility of trying to explain the technical details of software to business users. Eponymous laws are adages, laws, principles, theorems, etc. These are often adages or predictions with the appellation law, although they do not apply in the legal sense, cannot be scientifically tested, or are. Adding manpower to a late software project makes it later. For the literally minded, it should be noted that none of these are actual laws of nature or legislature. Jul 18, 2007 this was also crossposted to the tucows developer blog inspired by phil haacks article 19 eponymous laws of software development, i decided to collect laws, axioms and rules pertaining to mainstream software development and put them in a nice, easytoread table.

Less well known than the laws above but very important for software development is galls law. Inspired by phil haacks article 19 eponymous laws of software development, i decided to collect laws, axioms and rules pertaining to mainstream software development and put them in a nice, easytoread table. The system thinking laws from peter senges book the fifth discipline applied to software development. By understaning these laws, zivs law, humphreys law and conways law, for. The first thing to get right in the pronunciation of this word is stress. Every program attempts to expand until it can read mail. During a recent class, peter saddington referenced three laws which collectively are knows as the three laws of software development. Despite all the advances in software tools, there seem to be several enduring truths about software development. Eponymous looks like a more difficult word to pronounce than it is.

Usually this also means there is a broader story or richer intellectual history worth diving into. Parkinson provides the example of a fictional committee whose job was to approve the plans for a nuclear power plant spending the majority of its time on discussions about relatively minor but easytograsp issues, such as what materials to use. In zoology, an animal name that includes the name of a person is properly called an eponym. This is a list of laws applied to various disciplines.

This list of eponymous laws provides links to articles on laws, adages, and other succinct observations or predictions named after a person. From occams razor to parkinsons law of triviality, lets discuss some of the most useful adages and quotes in the world of software. For a list of eponymous statutes, see list of legislation named for a person. Any piece of software reflects the organizational structure that. Named after fred brooks, author of the well known book on project management the. Any suggestions or corrections would be greatly appreciated. With software development, the basic fundamental lies in the fact that the requirements and needs of the user and the marketing goals must be converted or created into a good software application. Northcote parkinsons 1957 argument that members of an organization give disproportionate weight to trivial issues. A handbook of agile software craftsmanship by robert cecil martin.

This is why ive been collecting some of these little nuggets of wisdom. Gustafsons law also known as gustafsonbarsiss law in computer engineering. Phil haack collected together in a post 19 eponymous laws of software development, and joey devilla, inspired by phils. I keep an eye out of interesting laws that have names attached to them. All discussions of incremental updates to bugzilla will eventually trend towards proposals for large scale redesigns or feature additions or replacements for bugzilla. Timeless laws of software development describes universal laws and practical techniques that help developers meet their goals, stay on schedule, and improve their skills. Eponymous laws those rules, principles, and adages named for their inventors are a particularly poignant subset of this phenomenon. Over the years, a number of eponymous laws or adages have emerged in software development. I thought i would check what other software development laws there are on the net. In some cases the person named has coined the law such. In some cases the person named has coined the law such as parkinsons law. It doesnt matter a whit if the instructions are printed clearly for all to see, nobody will read them. Programmers, developers, managers and architects often use these in conversations, meetings and chats.

Ushering the quantum era, this mans law states that the amount of energy released by a blackbody radiator depends only on the temperature of the blackbody and the wavelength. A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be patched up to make it work. Jul 17, 2007 19 eponymous laws of software development jul 17, 2007 software suggest edit one surefire way to sound really really smart is to invoke a law or principle named after some long dead guy an alive guy is acceptable too, but lacks slightly in smart points. The following is a list of eponymous laws of varying degrees. Unfortunately a lot of the things it has dont come up in nonscientific, regular conversation, whereas the others apply to many situations. Sep 06, 2016 eponymous laws those rules, principles, and adages named for their inventors are a particularly poignant subset of this phenomenon.

In some cases the person named has coined the law such as. The work of anthropologist robin dunbar and his eponymous number, 150. It is my lifes goal to have a anecdotal law named after me. Any software that can be written in javascript will eventually be written. One of the most depressing laws in this list, if you happen to have firsthand experience with this via working with incompetent managers. They are a special case of two word ideas, where a neat trick has been achieved by cramming an idea or meaning into a name and a law. As someone who hires software developers and who has developed software for 20 years, i would tend to lean towards hiring cs grads, as i havent found that universities are all that great at teaching the practicalities of realworld software development e. They reflect and induce reflection on the human condition, as well as the workings of science, math, and technology. These are often adages or predictions with the appellation law, although they do not apply in the legal sense, cannot be scientifically tested, or are intended only as rough descriptions rather than applying in each case. Pages in category eponymous laws the following 22 pages are in this category, out of 22 total. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. Unfortunately a lot of the things it has dont come up in nonscientific, regular conversation, whereas the others apply to many. Eponymous definition and meaning collins english dictionary.

Raymond in his essay and book the cathedral and the bazaar 1999, and was named in honor of linus torvalds. Here is a link to an article that discusses the topic. This article is about eponymous principles and adages. The rules engineers live by werent always set in stone photo. A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the first law. Theyll just drop their quarters and start pushing buttons like a tommy. Eponymous laws of software development in data science. Firstever laws for software developers pr newswire. Jul 12, 2014 during a recent class, peter saddington referenced three laws which collectively are knows as the three laws of software development. Or at least a more knowledgeable one, and really, arent those the same thing.

In network theory, the value of a system grows as approximately the square. An eponymous hero or heroine is the character in a play or book whose name is the title. In software development, linuss law is the assertion that given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow the law was formulated by eric s. The eponymous laws of computer science jason rigden medium. We all have a part to play to improve communication within teams and with clients. Jan 12, 2011 19 eponymous laws of software development one surefire way to sound really really smart is to invoke a law or principle named after some long dead guy an alive guy is acceptable too, but lacks slightly in smart points. If a technical decision does not have any business impact then it may as well be magic. Here is my collection of laws and axioms concerning software development. A quick overview of eponymous eponymous pronunciation.

By understaning these laws, zivs law, humphreys law and conways law, for example, you can remove some of the mystery of the process. A few from the above list taken as is that may be of. They are a special case of two word ideas, where a neat trick has been achieved by cramming an idea or. Eponymous definition of eponymous by the free dictionary. In intellectual property law, an eponym can refer to a generic trademark or brand name, a form of metonymy, such as aspirin, heroin and thermos in the united states in geography, places and. As mentioned above, we should be willing to take up the responsibility of helping our clients define more properly their software requirements and tease out the information the team needs to produce quality software that delivers on the clients wishes. Jul 27, 2018 eponymous laws express truths in concise, interesting, and sometimes funny ways. This was also crossposted to the tucows developer blog inspired by phil haacks article 19 eponymous laws of software development. Asimovs laws yes its sf but one day a software developer might have to follow them. This list of eponymous laws provides links to articles on laws, principles, adages, and other. Joshs olde blogge rumination about software, philosophy, music, politics, and more. Some are well known, others exist only on the internet.

Phil haack collected together in a post 19 eponymous laws of software development, and joey devilla, inspired by phils article, collected more laws, axioms and rules pertaining to mainstream software development and put them in a nice, easytoread table in. Surprisingly, our solutions could strike back and create new problems. Like any other field, the world of software development has some interesting and famous rules, principles and laws. The three laws of software development humphreys law. Raymond in his essay and book the cathedral and the bazaar. Aug 01, 2018 eponymous laws express truths in concise, interesting, and sometimes funny ways. Occams razor, moores law, and the pareto principle. With software development, the basic fundamental lies in the.

Did i miss any laws that you consider fundamental to the process of creating software, or any of the activity that goes on around said process e. More than often we tend to nod along, not willing to let our. In between discovering the electron and putting 50 million transistors. Later equals never is used in the context of software development, but may be applied more broadly to other areas. Some principles and laws to organise and manage software development teams. As someone who hires software developers and who has developed software for 20 years, i would tend to lean towards hiring cs grads, as i havent found that universities are all that great at teaching the. Parkinson provides the example of a fictional committee. One surefire way to sound really really smart is to invoke a law or principle named after some long dead guy an alive guy is acceptable too, but lacks slightly in smart points. Software gets slower faster than hardware gets faster.

Found in conference talks which i then repeat in meetings to sound smart, the eponymous laws of tech are sometimes humorous observations and sometimes even based on real academic research. Humphreys law zivs law conways law i had never heard of. Software gets slower more quickly than hardware gets faster. For laws specifically about the internet, see the main article on internet laws. Those who do not include greenspuns tenth rule in their list of eponymous laws are doomed to provide. The reason i class this as a software development law is that it points out the futility of trying to explain the technical details of software to business users. Still, by keeping in mind these 15 laws of software development, you might just make yourself a better developer. If you enjoyed it, check out the other pieces from. Laws of software development its a bit old, but i discovered these links today. This list of eponymous laws provides links to articles on laws, principles, adages, and other succinct observations or predictions named after a person. Software application development is done for the main reason of providing growth and value to the requirements of each and every user. One surefire way to sound really really smart is to invoke a law or principle named after some long dead guy an alive guy is acceptable too, but. This was also crossposted to the tucows developer blog inspired by phil. Jul 17, 2007 joshs olde blogge rumination about software, philosophy, music, politics, and more.