:creeping featurism: /kree'ping fee'chr-izm/ n. 1. Describes a
systematic tendency to load more {chrome} and {feature}s onto
systems at the expense of whatever elegance they may have possessed
when originally designed. See also {feeping creaturism}. "You
know, the main problem with {BSD} UNIX has always been creeping
featurism." 2. More generally, the tendency for anything
complicated to become even more complicated because people keep
saying "Gee, it would be even better if it had this feature too".
(See {feature}.) The result is usually a patchwork because it
grew one ad-hoc step at a time, rather than being planned.
Planning is a lot of work, but it's easy to add just one extra
little feature to help someone ... and then another ... and
another.... When creeping featurism gets out of hand, it's
like a cancer. Usually this term is used to describe computer
programs, but it could also be said of the federal government, the
IRS 1040 form, and new cars. A similar phenomenon sometimes
afflicts conscious redesigns; see {second-system effect}. See
also {creeping elegance}.
-- The AI Hackers Dictionary
systematic tendency to load more {chrome} and {feature}s onto
systems at the expense of whatever elegance they may have possessed
when originally designed. See also {feeping creaturism}. "You
know, the main problem with {BSD} UNIX has always been creeping
featurism." 2. More generally, the tendency for anything
complicated to become even more complicated because people keep
saying "Gee, it would be even better if it had this feature too".
(See {feature}.) The result is usually a patchwork because it
grew one ad-hoc step at a time, rather than being planned.
Planning is a lot of work, but it's easy to add just one extra
little feature to help someone ... and then another ... and
another.... When creeping featurism gets out of hand, it's
like a cancer. Usually this term is used to describe computer
programs, but it could also be said of the federal government, the
IRS 1040 form, and new cars. A similar phenomenon sometimes
afflicts conscious redesigns; see {second-system effect}. See
also {creeping elegance}.
-- The AI Hackers Dictionary
Related:
- creeping featurism /kree'ping fee'chr-izm/ n.
[common] 1.
Describes a systematic tendency to load more chrome... - second-system effect: n. (sometimes, more euphoniously,
`second-system syndrome') When one is designing the... - feature creature n.
[poss. fr. slang `creature feature'
for a horror movie] 1.
One who loves to add features to designs or programs... - creeping elegance: n. Describes a tendency for parts of a design
to become {elegant} past the point of diminishing return,
something which often happens at the expense of the... - feature creature: [poss. fr. slang `creature feature' for a
horror movie] n.
1. One who loves to add features to designs or programs... - second-system effect n.
(sometimes, more euphoniously,
`second-system syndrome') When one is designing the... - feature n.
1. [common] A good property or behavior (as
of a program).
Whether it was intended or not is immaterial. 2... - banana problem: n. [from the story of the little girl who said "I
know how to spell `banana',
but I don't know when to stop"]. Not knowing where... - creeping featuritis: /kree'ping fee'-chr-i:`t*s/ n.
Variant of {creeping featurism}, with its own spoonerization...
