The more I work in software development, the more I am amazed that anything works. I have recently been reading up on the notion of patterns in software development. I came across a great paper on the web call the Big Ball of Mud. This paper is unique in that it seems more like real life, but offer some hope.
From the Abstract
This paper examines this most frequently deployed of software architectures: the BIG BALL OF MUD. A BIG BALL OF MUD is a casually, even haphazardly, structured system. Its organization, if one can call it that, is dictated more by expediency than design. Yet, its enduring popularity cannot merely be indicative of a general disregard for architecture.
I still can't help but wonder why the most successful software companies are not always the ones associated with ease of use, security, or quality. In fact with two of the largest, Oracle and Microsoft sometime their appears to be an inverse relationship with the success of the company and it's ability to meet software engineering requirements.
