Comments on: Another argument against rewrites http://ginstrom.com/scribbles/2008/08/15/another-argument-against-rewrites/ Random scribbling about programming, translation, and Japan Thu, 26 Aug 2010 13:27:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Ryan Ginstrom http://ginstrom.com/scribbles/2008/08/15/another-argument-against-rewrites/comment-page-1/#comment-279 Ryan Ginstrom Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:36:14 +0000 http://ginstrom.com/scribbles/2008/08/15/another-argument-against-rewrites/#comment-279 @Sako Yeah, the Netscape is one of <b>the</b> classic examples of a rewrite gone bad. I think the problems with rewrites first became widely known with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mythical_Man-Month">The Mythical Man Month</a> by Fred Brooks. It seems incredible that so many of the problems he identified in software development are still endemic in the industry over 30 years later. @Sako

Yeah, the Netscape is one of the classic examples of a rewrite gone bad. I think the problems with rewrites first became widely known with The Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks. It seems incredible that so many of the problems he identified in software development are still endemic in the industry over 30 years later.

]]> By: Sako http://ginstrom.com/scribbles/2008/08/15/another-argument-against-rewrites/comment-page-1/#comment-278 Sako Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:24:37 +0000 http://ginstrom.com/scribbles/2008/08/15/another-argument-against-rewrites/#comment-278 In reading this article, I was immediately reminded of a very similar one I read more than eight years ago, Joel on Software's post "<a href="http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000069.html">Things You Should Never Do, Part I</a>". I think the example Netscape provides is even more compelling than that of del.icio.us, although admittedly not as contemporary. In reading this article, I was immediately reminded of a very similar one I read more than eight years ago, Joel on Software’s post “Things You Should Never Do, Part I“. I think the example Netscape provides is even more compelling than that of del.icio.us, although admittedly not as contemporary.

]]> By: Ryan Ginstrom http://ginstrom.com/scribbles/2008/08/15/another-argument-against-rewrites/comment-page-1/#comment-277 Ryan Ginstrom Sat, 16 Aug 2008 03:02:32 +0000 http://ginstrom.com/scribbles/2008/08/15/another-argument-against-rewrites/#comment-277 By all accounts, the delicious codebase was a mess. A refactoring might have ended up changing or removing every single line of original code. The difference between that and a rewrite, however, is that with refactoring you start and end with a working system. You can also maintain and improve the system as you go. There are lots of problems with rewrites, which <a href="http://chadfowler.com/2006/12/27/the-big-rewrite">Chad Fowler explains very well here</a>. Yahoo! committed one of the cardinal sins of rewrites: duplicating the system and adding functionality at the same time. But I guess if your rewrite takes three years, that's a hard temptation to resist... By all accounts, the delicious codebase was a mess. A refactoring might have ended up changing or removing every single line of original code.

The difference between that and a rewrite, however, is that with refactoring you start and end with a working system. You can also maintain and improve the system as you go.

There are lots of problems with rewrites, which Chad Fowler explains very well here. Yahoo! committed one of the cardinal sins of rewrites: duplicating the system and adding functionality at the same time. But I guess if your rewrite takes three years, that’s a hard temptation to resist…

]]> By: Adam Rice http://ginstrom.com/scribbles/2008/08/15/another-argument-against-rewrites/comment-page-1/#comment-276 Adam Rice Fri, 15 Aug 2008 13:12:31 +0000 http://ginstrom.com/scribbles/2008/08/15/another-argument-against-rewrites/#comment-276 As I understand it (and I might be wrong), del.icio.us (yeah, I'm old-school like that) was something Josh Schachter pretty much threw together as a pet project, that was never designed to hold up to the scale it was called on to support. It was tweaked to keep up, but was never on a very firm footing. I also get the impression he lost interest in maintaining it after selling out, which isn't too surprising. Yahoo's rewrite clearly was days late and dollars short, but in del.icio.us' case, it may have needed some kind of rewrite anyhow. As I understand it (and I might be wrong), del.icio.us (yeah, I’m old-school like that) was something Josh Schachter pretty much threw together as a pet project, that was never designed to hold up to the scale it was called on to support. It was tweaked to keep up, but was never on a very firm footing. I also get the impression he lost interest in maintaining it after selling out, which isn’t too surprising.

Yahoo’s rewrite clearly was days late and dollars short, but in del.icio.us’ case, it may have needed some kind of rewrite anyhow.

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