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Be me, mid 90s. Wannabe methodologist. Earnest, enthusiastic. Dismissive of OOAD/P criticisms. Attend OOPSLA '98. Spot break out session on Software Architectu
by specialist 6y ago
Be me, mid 90s. Wannabe methodologist. Earnest, enthusiastic. Dismissive of OOAD/P criticisms.
Attend OOPSLA '98. Spot break out session on Software Architecture. Featuring Grady Booch! Oh boy, I gotta go.
Finally work up courage to ask my hero Booch "What is 'Software Architecture'?"
Long, thoughtful pause. "'Software Architecture' is what Software Architects create."
Poof. Bubble popped.
FWIW, the Agile Methodology™ hype cycle is self same.
- bluGill 6y agoI've heard this definition of software architecture that I like: "the art of getting right up front the things that would be very hard to change latter if you got them wrong". What those things are is different for every project. They can even change over time, but you need to get them right up front anyway.
- specialist 6y agoThat totally works. Thanks. Much later, I stumbled apon (paraphrasing) "architecture is the set of visible design choices" from the economics book Design Rules: The Power of Modularity. I long thought that book would become seminal, classic. Shows what I know.