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It's revealing that the only measurable qualities of software the author cited were "coupling" and "cohesion". Physics is based on measurable values and measur

• sideshowb 9y ago
  Not read yet - does he aspire to make the things you're writing off as unmeasurable, measurable?
• jasode 9y ago
  >the only measurable qualities of software the author cited were "coupling" and "cohesion". [...] Physics is based on measurable values You've misinterpreted the author's message and didn't realize he actually agrees with you. He wrote, "However, a property in physics [...] precise stimulus [...]" to contrast that "coupling" and "cohesion" is not measurable using our current mental models for discussing software. His 2nd paragraph explains the the flaw in his 1st paragraph just like your 2nd paragraph did to your 1st paragraph.
  • kbutler 9y ago
    I went back and read it again, though I had found it a waste of time the first time through. I think the third paragraph is more clear: "We just don’t know those forces well enough to even name them" I feel like he's straining too hard to make the analogy with physics, which doesn't seem very beneficial. Spoken as a fan of both physics and software, the analogy with physics just doesn't seem to offer much additional perspective on the target field (software). Civil engineering seems like a better analogy (constructed artifacts involving engineering tradeoffs that must work in a complex environment), or biology (evolving systems responding to selection effects in complex, evolving environments).