Programmer Musings

"Good Enough" Revisited

In The Forgotten Engineering Principle, I went on at some length about the concept of "Good Enough". I originally began thinking about this idea over a decade ago in the context of Stylus-Based Computers (what are now called Tablet PCs). I hadn't thought about the concept for quite a long time.

However, in doing a little research for another issue I found that I had been reminded of this concept just a few years ago. Unfortunately, I had forgotten that I had been reminded. Andrew Hunt and David Thomas devote a small portion of The Pragmatic Programmer to the concept of Good-Enough Software. Even if I didn't remember it at the time, I'm appreciate that they moved the concept back into memory far enough to keep me thinking about it.

So, in the Credit Where Credit Is Due department, Hunt and Thomas reminded me of this concept so they should get credit for some of anything good you might get out of my essay. I, of course, claim credit for anything you disagree with.