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Why I Hate Frameworks (2005)

factoryfactoryfactory.net

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Re: Why I Hate Frameworks (2005)

#3
I once waded into a piece of software that had factories five or six levels deep. One memorable code path involved the clipboard.

That was the company where I first heard the term "Train Wreck".

("Documentation? You're lucky it builds!")

Re: Why I Hate Frameworks (2005)

#4
The worst part of this kind of thing is that young carpenters honestly, really, truly, just need to learn to use a hammer. They can't even conceive of the problems that are being solved by the hammer factory, let alone the factory factory. But in the world of the factory factory factory, the apprentice carpenter (who really just wanted to drive a few nails) is now faced with trying to understand the gargantuan complexity of the factory factory factory.

When one of the sub factories breaks down, or when a saw came out where a hammer should have, the carpenter might find themselves awfully tempted to take a ball peen hammer to someone's face. But sadly, they don't know where to get one or how to use it.

Re: Why I Hate Frameworks (2005)

#5
Simplicity is easy to mandate: "just use simple tools!". It's not always obvious when the finished product looks wonky and slanted and has to be retrofitted several times that the complexity was always there, in the world. The complexity in our tools is hopefully there to help with some complexity in the world.

In my experience, it's always the junior who shouts "This could all be so much simpler!".

Re: Why I Hate Frameworks (2005)

#7
This reminds me of FizzBuzz Enterprise Edition and I have come across software that was pretty much written like this more than once.

To be fair: finding the right level of abstraction in a sea of uncertainty can be a tricky problem - but sometimes this also just happens for very different reasons than out of necessity (ivory tower architecture commitees, external companies selling the most expensive solution, ego fueled idiocy or just plain old ignorance).

Re: Why I Hate Frameworks (2005)

#9
post #5

Simplicity is easy to mandate: "just use simple tools!". It's not always obvious when the finished product looks wonky and slanted and has to be retrofitted several times that the complexity was always there, in the world. The complexity in our tools is hopefully there to help with some complexity in the world. In my experience, it's always the junior who shouts "This could all be so much simpler!".

> In my experience, it's always the junior who shouts "This could all be so much simpler!".

Yeah, this is true. But I often wonder how much of this is because the seniors have given up on simplicity and since they have internalized the complexity it doesn't bother them anymore.

Re: Why I Hate Frameworks (2005)

#10
I want a version of this satire where they only sell hammer subscriptions, but to get the hammer the guy actually wants he needs to buy an Extended Hand Tools subscription that auto renews and costs as much in three months as buying the original hammer would have.
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