Right.

I like the Extreme version which is short and to 
the point:

Do the simplest stupid thing that could possibly 
work then improve that.

I admit to not always being comfortable with the 
approach, but after watching locals fight off 
ER diagrams as too hard to do for too long, and 
losing some sales, writing the application became 
a quest and by treating it as 'just another report', 
not hard at all.  That's the beauty of XML apps: 
just a big ol' string. ;-)  (BTW: this works 
for composing disco dance tunes too.)

Of course, now I get to redo a Foxpro app in 
.Net but I can live with it, and it will be 
even simpler this time.

Simplicity IS sophisticated.  Took me a long time 
to see the truth in that.

What gets in the way?  Mammals.  They do crowd  
the mountain seeking the perfect path for themselves 
and their familars.

len


From: John Cowan [mailto:jcowan@r...]

Bullard, Claude L (Len) scripsit:

> Vendors can catch up when the market is worth 
> their time and trouble.   To be trite, there 
> are many paths up the mountain.

What's more, there are many mountains.

# Design without designing,
# implement without implementing,
# debug without debugging.
# 
# The great lessens (and the small grows);
# the many become few (and the few become many).
# 
# Respond to ill-treatment
#   with the Power of the Unix Way.
# 
# Tackle difficult projects while they're easy;
# manage big projects while they're small.
# 
# In this world,
#   difficult problems surely arise
#   from what is easy;
# in this world,
#   big systems surely begin
#   in what is small.
# 
# Thus the hacker doesn't set big goals,
#   but can accomplish big results.
#   (Truly, frivolous promises lack sincerity.)
# 
# What's too easy surely has many difficulties.
# 
# Thus the hacker takes difficulties seriously,
#   and ultimately has no difficulties, indeed.
		--Tao Te Ching 63

(If you like this, see http://www.ccil.org/~cowan/upc for more.)

-- 
After fixing the Y2K bug in an application:     John Cowan
        WELCOME TO <censored>                   jcowan@r...
        DATE: MONDAK, JANUARK 1, 1900           http://www.ccil.org/~cowan