Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!wuarchive!rice!uupsi!pbs.org!TALOS!jerry
From: jerry@TALOS.UUCP (Jerry Gitomer)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: Second System Effect
Message-ID: <1192@TALOS.UUCP>
Date: 22 Feb 91 18:04:55 GMT
References: <30512@mimsy.umd.edu>
Organization: NPRI, Alexandria VA
Lines: 26

dalamb@umiacs.umd.edu (David Lamb) writes:

:In "The Mythical Man-Month", Fred Brooks (1975) described the "second system
:effect": on one's second try at a particular kind of system, one tends
:to add all kinds of bells, whistles, kazoos, etc., vastly
:overcomplicating the software.  When I first read it, this seemed like
:it had to be true, but I haven't seen anyone else discussing it.  Does
:anyone else have any published references discussing such an effect?
:Do y'all believe it's still a problem these days?

I haven't seen anything about this, but if the commercial
software packages being offered in the PC-DOS world are typical
the problem still exists.  My evidence is the ever increasing
size of each subsequent release of the typical package.

Another indication of the continued existence of the problem is
the evolution in products, such as computer languages, which are
subject to standards.  I don't know about you, but I can't think
of any example in which a revised standard has resulted in a
significant reduction in language size or complexity.  (To the
best of my recollection every standard revision has resulted in
the language getting bigger and more complex.
-- 
Jerry Gitomer at National Political Resources Inc, Alexandria, VA USA
I am apolitical, have no resources, and speak only for myself.
Ma Bell (703)683-9090      (UUCP:  ...{uupsi,vrdxhq}!pbs!npri6!jerry 


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