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From: eugene@pioneer.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Architect's Trap (Mythical-Person months, wrong!)
Message-ID: <522@ames.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 4-Mar-87 12:07:11 EST
Article-I.D.: ames.522
Posted: Wed Mar  4 12:07:11 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 6-Mar-87 06:05:35 EST
References: <1400@ncr-sd.SanDiego.NCR.COM> <101200003@datacube>
Sender: usenet@ames.UUCP
Reply-To: eugene@pioneer.UUCP (Eugene Miya N.)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
Lines: 40

In article <101200003@datacube> dje@datacube.UUCP writes:
>
>"The Mythical Man-Month" (author forgotten) is  a book  based on this
>concept.
>
>The author's solution:  Design it right the first  time.   Then go on
>to new product.  I agree with him.   You can  always design something
>'better' given another chance.   The  great designs  are usually done
>right the first time.  
>
>				Dave Erickson

The author is Fred Brooks, Jr., the chair at North Carolina, publisher:

%I Addison-Wesley
%D 1975

YOUR "author's solution" is wrong.  He recognized we can't do things
right the first time.  Unix was not done completely right the first
time.  Brooks said many things, but not this.  He said among other
things:
	Prepare to throw one away
and
	Adding manpower to a late project will make it later.

I think he was also one of the first to coin the word "prototype" with
respect to software.  I suggest your buy the book.  It's inexpensive,
and sadly, one of the better works of the field (we have not learned
much since then).

Isn't hindsight wonderful? (Not my quote)

From the Rock of Ages Home for Retired Hackers:

--eugene miya
  NASA Ames Research Center
  eugene@ames-aurora.ARPA
  "You trust the `reply' command with all those different mailers out there?"
  "Send mail, avoid follow-ups.  If enough, I'll summarize."
  {hplabs,hao,ihnp4,decwrl,allegra,tektronix,menlo70}!ames!aurora!eugene