Re: "Pave The Cowpaths" Design Principle

And to follow your analogy, we would also need to remember where
all the stones were each sememster to "maintain compatibility".

A mathematician would define such a solution as a "complete
cover" 

James Cassell writes:
 > 
 > On Sun, 13 May 2007 18:41:46 -0700, Dave Singer <singer@apple.com> wrote:
 > 
 > > 
 > 
 > > It used to be accepted wisdom that 'old roads were laid out by
 > 
 > > drunken cows'.  But sometimes there's more sense than appears.
 > 
 > > 
 > 
 > > There is a university campus that has lawns between the buildings.
 > 
 > > At the end of the academic year they lift the stones that are the
 > 
 > > paths across those lawns, and let the grass re-grow, over the summer.
 > 
 > > A few weeks into the new academic year, they observe where the
 > 
 > > pattern of class transitions etc. is causing the grass to get worn,
 > 
 > > and they lay paths, using the stones, where people are walking.  That
 > 
 > > way they neither frustrate the groundsmen who try to keep grass
 > 
 > > growing where people walk, nor the users of the grounds, who are not
 > 
 > > troubled by "keep to the paths" or "keep off the grass" signs.
 > 
 > > 
 > 
 > 
 > 
 > This is interesting, but seems like it would be a lot of work.  It seems that if you equate this as a metaphor to HTML, it would have to be re-written every so often to account for changes in common usage of the language.  This does not seem like a good idea to me.
 > 
 > 
 > 
 > I do like the spin you put on the "Pave the Cowpaths" principle, though.
 > 
 > 
 > 
 > -- 
 > 
 > James Cassell
 > 
 > 

-- 
Best Regards,
--raman

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Received on Monday, 14 May 2007 19:13:37 UTC