#software-design

#software-design

What is software? "Software" is actually quite a broad term, spanning everything from low-level firmware running on devices; operating systems; command-line tools that only developers use; compiled code that runs on its own; interpreted code that needs some other piece of software - or even an entire other application like a web browser! - to run it. Software takes many, many forms, and is created and executed in many different ways for many different purposes.

The basic assumptions we had about how computers work have flipped. The IT-indoctrinated brain has always tried to attack messy real-world problems by surrounding them in a logical ring-fence. They hold onto this notion that computers are tools in the same way that shovels and drills are tools. They're a means to an end. Shovels are a means for making holes in the ground. Drills are means for making holes in the wall.

At a buffet, instead of getting to choose the dishes you want, you are handed a large tray filled with everything - sushi, pizza, hamburgers, and a weird-looking dessert. If all you wanted was a slice of pizza, you would find the whole platter a tad overwhelming, right?

"The main point of the article is to replace simplistic getters with behavior-rich methods that encapsulate the operations pertinent to the internal state."