Well, I disagree with you. However by "design" I don't mean figuring all the implementation details out ahead of time. It means looking at the requirements, w

Well, I disagree with you. However by "design" I don't mean figuring all the implementation details out ahead of time. It means looking at the requirements, what solutions already exist, and figuring out the most elegant way to string together what you have and fill in the holes. Now, IMO, this design never means writing a spec. It means thinking through things however, from an architectural rather than implementation perspective. It means thinking through the larger problems regarding how the pieces of your program will talk to eachother before you begin. Then when you start coding, the only design questions you have left to answer are those which involve the sorts of details you won't know in advance.