Status of Software Reuse 582

To build a decent piece of reusable code takes a lot of care. As you say, it requires more time than most managers are willing to spend, even if it can pay for itself many times over. Another "problem" is that designing for reusability can influence the overall design of the system(s) in which the code will be used. And a manager or user who wants a customized solution now is too often unwilling to compromise his dream. Never mind how much it will simplify things in the long run - in a world where complexity is confused with sophistication, attempting to apply the KISS principle can be seen as a Bad Thing.

Yup. Bolt another gadget on the side. If it makes things get flaky, shore it up with yet another layer of complexity. It's a designer's nightmare and a bureaucrat's dream, and it usually repeats until the system collapses under the weight of its patches.

That's the nice thing about being a consultant - by the time the fit hits the shan, you've taken your money and are long gone. It's the poor in-house grunts who have to live with the consequences. And meanwhile, management has been seduced by the next wild schemer and it all begins again.

"There's never time to do it right, but always time to do it over."

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