Magic Bullets

[billroper]

I have been coding software for various computers since 1973. The one thing that I am firmly convinced of is that there is no magic bullet in terms of language, library, or methodology that is going to solve all our problems.

So why do I keep running into people who believe that this mythical -- to my mind! -- magic bullet actually exists?

Comments

[jabberwokky.livejournal.com]

You need a decade, maybe two, to really have the perspective to understand that the zeal and promises of the new always tend to overpromise (except the very rare occasional new thing that actually *is* revolutionary). The same applies to all fields... finance, politics, law enforcement, the sciences, even the various arts like painting and fashion. The short lived ones are fads, the longer ones trends.

[kevinnickerson.livejournal.com]

The decade is probably necessary, but it is not sufficient. I'm dealing with this sort of thing at the office lately (i.e. more so than usual). People with 2, 3, and even 4 decades of programming experience are swooning at some 'new' concepts. I, however, am mostly appalled.