CORBA Shot To Death With Silver Bullets

The current "Communications of ACM" (2008 08) has two articles that combined are greater than their parts.

In "Software Development Amidst the Whiz of Silver Bullets", Alex Bell explains how we must be ever vigilant against silver bullet solutions. While it is not in the article, I can almost here a paraphrased common wisdom, "if the silver bullet worked, it would be the standard practice."

In "The Rise and Fall of CORBA", Michi Henning provides the Post Mortem Analysis of the CORBA effort. There is a nice auditory illusion that takes place if you read "...Whiz of Silver Bullets" right before reading "...Fall of CORBA", as Henning details the effect of too many specifications, contradictory specifications and unimplementable specifications, you hear the silver bullets whiz followed by the dull thud as they hit and kill developers and companies.

But there is more, Henning provides critical lessons learned. A good Post Mortem is interested in placing blame only to the extent that it allows for the illumination of what could be done to avoid the failure. In the case of the multiple contradictory and perhaps dubious specification one recommendation rings out "PROVIDE A REFERENCE IMPLEMENTATION".

Once again Waterfall and BDUF (Big Design Up Front) take a hit. In the CORBA project, specifications could be approved without anyone having to provide a reference implementation. That is classic Waterfall, all the design at the beginning and no feedback from the experience of having to implement the initial design.

Now if you go back to the first article "...Whiz of Silver Bullets", you have a new tool for dealing with the next silver bullet that is proposed at your company. Simply ask for a Reference Implementation. Often that silver bullet will show it's warts as soon as you get past the boilerplate code.