Programming

When I wrote Real-World Maintainable Software, I highlighted the fact that Dr. Winston W. Royce introduced the world to the concept of Waterfall Project Development with a stark warning: the implementation described is risky and invites failure

Did the world heed this warning? No, we went full on Waterfall for decades, suffering failed project after failed project, never wondering if anything had to be changed.

This is a breathtakingly naive point of view from the author of a book with such a lofty title.

The idea that everyone went “full waterfall” is hilariously misinformed. And that it was “failed project after failed project” until waterfall went away is comical too. Where did all that software come from if every project failed? All software engineers did nothing for decades and still got work??

I thought “oh, maybe I should take this guy seriously because he wrote a book with a title like that…?” Nah. It’s not that kind of book. It’s a glorified list in pamphlet form for junior developers who don’t know to buy something else.

I know hubris is one of the qualities of a good programmer but he seems to have skipped the details of that one.