I disagree with "a well-designed system is one that is easy to change over time". To me this is the axis of "generic" vs "specialized". As systems get increasi

I disagree with "a well-designed system is one that is easy to change over time". To me this is the axis of "generic" vs "specialized". As systems get increasingly optimized (for anything: resource usage, bandwidth, latency, cost, etc.) they increasingly need to make choices that limit other potential choices. This has nothing to do with being badly or well designed. A well designed system is one that does it job well, which in part includes being able to evolve it over time (or not). This might includes staying more generic, or becoming more specialized.