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RE: Don't Let Architecture Astronauts Scare You

• To: 'Dare Obasanjo' <dareo@m...>, Elliotte Rusty Harold <elharo@m...>, xml-dev@l...
• Subject: RE: Don't Let Architecture Astronauts Scare You
• From: "Bullard, Claude L (Len)" <clbullar@i...>
• Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2002 11:11:41 -0500

They make Mercedes SUVs in Alabama (no joke).  

One of the more interesting things I found out 
about the company is that Merecedes designers reputedly 
won't add features to the car unless it has been 
proven in practice.  So neato new features that 
show up in other car manufacturer designs such 
as auto-dimming for headlights don't show up 
in Mercedes designs for some time afterwards. 
The design regime is very conservative but 
apprarently, high quality component costs 
and rigorous manufacturing processes drive 
up the cost.  Ease of use and reliability 
ARE the criteria that drive the design.

What would a web browser designed that way 
look like and what features now provided 
would go away?   I don't think we can compare 
costs because the web browsers are free.

Would a modern day software vendor stay in 
business if it had to use the Mercedes 
design approach?  Remember, the Mercedes 
SUV is made in America, so the "Americans 
build junk" phil won't wash.  It is a matter 
of what will a customer pay for something 
considered disposable.   Software is eminently 
disposable.  Data isn't.  That is exactly why 
markup came to be.  It had nothing to do with 
the web, loose coupling, message orientation, 
OOPism, Bagism, etc.

len


From: Dare Obasanjo [mailto:dareo@m...]

A Buick is not better designed than a Mercedes unless your only criteria
for better design is cheaper.  

> From: Elliotte Rusty Harold [mailto:elharo@m...] 

> If it's both cheaper and easier to drive, then I think the 
> Buick is better designed. This assumes the use case for both 
> cars are standard American highways and city roads and not 
> the Indy 500. The only other factor that might argue in favor 
> of the Mercedes design would be repair history and tendency 
> to break down, but ease of use is a real concern, and one all 
> too often overlooked in design.

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