I've always found the arguments in this paper so bizarre that when reading it I have to constantly keep reminding myself that in the 80s this nonsense must have

I've always found the arguments in this paper so bizarre that when reading it I have to constantly keep reminding myself that in the 80s this nonsense must have seemed like a practical way forward. (Parnas in particular was one of the giants of software engineering research.) I wrote a piece about it a few years back: http://www.zerobanana.com/essays/rational-design/ http://www.zerobanana.com/essays/rational-design/ Another good take on it: http://www.leanessays.com/2010/11/rational-design-process-its-time-to.html http://www.leanessays.com/2010/11/rational-design-process-it...