Why do more elaborate IDE's lead to worse software?

Why do more elaborate IDE’s lead to worse software? Harald König Univ. of Applied Sciences, FHDW Hannover, Germany

MMMDE, 29.09.2015

Outline

1

Experiences

Outline

1

Experiences

2

Implications

Outline

1

Experiences

2

Implications

3

Outcome

Experiences

Outline

1

Experiences

2

Implications

3

Outcome

Harald König (FHDW Hannover)

IDE↑⇒ Software↓

MMMDE 2015

3 / 15

Experiences

Business Application Development IDE’s . . .



MMMDE 2015

4 / 15

Experiences

Business Application Development IDE’s . . . SAP (Systems Applications and Programs in Data Processing - world’s largest provider of standard ERP software)



MMMDE 2015

4 / 15

Experiences

Business Application Development IDE’s . . . SAP (Systems Applications and Programs in Data Processing - world’s largest provider of standard ERP software) 1990: Invention of intelligent ABAP/4-IDE



MMMDE 2015

4 / 15

Experiences

Business Application Development IDE’s . . . SAP (Systems Applications and Programs in Data Processing - world’s largest provider of standard ERP software) 1990: Invention of intelligent ABAP/4-IDE Market-Driven: Cheap and easy development for everyone



MMMDE 2015

4 / 15

Experiences

Business Application Development IDE’s . . . SAP (Systems Applications and Programs in Data Processing - world’s largest provider of standard ERP software) 1990: Invention of intelligent ABAP/4-IDE Market-Driven: Cheap and easy development for everyone



MMMDE 2015

4 / 15

Experiences

Business Application Development IDE’s . . . SAP (Systems Applications and Programs in Data Processing - world’s largest provider of standard ERP software) 1990: Invention of intelligent ABAP/4-IDE Market-Driven: Cheap and easy development for everyone generates:



MMMDE 2015

4 / 15

Experiences




MMMDE 2015

4 / 15

Experiences




MMMDE 2015

4 / 15

Experiences

. . . and effects of their use



MMMDE 2015

5 / 15

Experiences

. . . and effects of their use Elaborate IDEs cause ”Programming by coincidence”



MMMDE 2015

5 / 15

Experiences

. . . and effects of their use Elaborate IDEs cause ”Programming by coincidence” See ”The pragmatic programmer”



MMMDE 2015

5 / 15

Experiences

. . . and effects of their use Elaborate IDEs cause ”Programming by coincidence” See ”The pragmatic programmer” Service Level Agreements (SLA): Supplier provides infrastructure for bug fixing and patch delivery of running software: More temptation to rapidly deliver α-versions



MMMDE 2015

5 / 15

Experiences

. . . and effects of their use Elaborate IDEs cause ”Programming by coincidence” See ”The pragmatic programmer” Service Level Agreements (SLA): Supplier provides infrastructure for bug fixing and patch delivery of running software: More temptation to rapidly deliver α-versions Continuous enhancements (standard software):



MMMDE 2015

5 / 15

Experiences

. . . and effects of their use Elaborate IDEs cause ”Programming by coincidence” See ”The pragmatic programmer” Service Level Agreements (SLA): Supplier provides infrastructure for bug fixing and patch delivery of running software: More temptation to rapidly deliver α-versions Continuous enhancements (standard software): New (legal) requirements



MMMDE 2015

5 / 15

Experiences

. . . and effects of their use Elaborate IDEs cause ”Programming by coincidence” See ”The pragmatic programmer” Service Level Agreements (SLA): Supplier provides infrastructure for bug fixing and patch delivery of running software: More temptation to rapidly deliver α-versions Continuous enhancements (standard software): New (legal) requirements Fast development → New customers → fast(er) development



MMMDE 2015

5 / 15

Experiences


Quick extension of IT-department → Many unsupervised beginners: Component proliferation and unmaintainable code



MMMDE 2015

5 / 15

Experiences


Quick extension of IT-department → Many unsupervised beginners: Component proliferation and unmaintainable code 1. Good construction support (IDE, SLA) ⇒ Rapid increase of entropy Harald König (FHDW Hannover)


MMMDE 2015

5 / 15

Experiences

Example 1: Business application after some years in production



MMMDE 2015

6 / 15

Experiences

Example 1: Business application after some years in production Unreproducable deadlock problem!



MMMDE 2015

6 / 15

Experiences

Example 1: Business application after some years in production Unreproducable deadlock problem! −→ Development manager’s reaction:



MMMDE 2015

6 / 15

Experiences




MMMDE 2015

6 / 15

Experiences


7→



??

MMMDE 2015

6 / 15

Experiences


7→

??

”We fix the problem only, if it will repeatedly happen! Hopefully it vanishes in Release 4.0 . . . ”



MMMDE 2015

6 / 15

Experiences


7→

??

”We fix the problem only, if it will repeatedly happen! Hopefully it vanishes in Release 4.0 . . . ” 2. Instead of correct code, business developers prefer Cost-Effectiveness-Calculations



MMMDE 2015

6 / 15

Experiences

Example 2 (There is still hope . . . ) Performance improvement for reading hierarchical dependencies



MMMDE 2015

7 / 15

Experiences




MMMDE 2015

7 / 15

Experiences


7→

”No problem, this is a universal construction!”



MMMDE 2015

7 / 15

Experiences


7→

”No problem, this is a universal construction!” Resulted in a stable, formally underpinned tool to generate reflexive and transitive closure in DB tables



MMMDE 2015

7 / 15

Experiences


7→

”No problem, this is a universal construction!” Resulted in a stable, formally underpinned tool to generate reflexive and transitive closure in DB tables Became standard tool for application developers



MMMDE 2015

7 / 15

Experiences


7→

”No problem, this is a universal construction!” Resulted in a stable, formally underpinned tool to generate reflexive and transitive closure in DB tables Became standard tool for application developers 3. Technical developers are mathematically minded - and recognize the relevance.



MMMDE 2015

7 / 15

Experiences

Example 3: IT-department extension Some companies’ hiring strategies:



MMMDE 2015

8 / 15

Experiences

Example 3: IT-department extension Some companies’ hiring strategies: ”We look for . . . . . . Mathematicians for programming our satellites (ESA)



MMMDE 2015

8 / 15

Experiences

Example 3: IT-department extension Some companies’ hiring strategies: ”We look for . . . . . . Mathematicians for programming our satellites (ESA) . . . Number theorists for the improvement of our cryptographic solutions (supplier of network solutions)



MMMDE 2015

8 / 15

Experiences

Example 3: IT-department extension Some companies’ hiring strategies: ”We look for . . . . . . Mathematicians for programming our satellites (ESA) . . . Number theorists for the improvement of our cryptographic solutions (supplier of network solutions) . . . Statisticians for our data analytics products (BI provider)



MMMDE 2015

8 / 15

Experiences

Example 3: IT-department extension Some companies’ hiring strategies: ”We look for . . . . . . Mathematicians for programming our satellites (ESA) . . . Number theorists for the improvement of our cryptographic solutions (supplier of network solutions) . . . Statisticians for our data analytics products (BI provider) . . . Experts in Applied Mathematics (FEM, PDE) for the maintenance of our CAD-applications”



MMMDE 2015

8 / 15

Experiences

Example 3: IT-department extension Some companies’ hiring strategies: ”We look for . . . . . . Mathematicians for programming our satellites (ESA) . . . Number theorists for the improvement of our cryptographic solutions (supplier of network solutions) . . . Statisticians for our data analytics products (BI provider) . . . Experts in Applied Mathematics (FEM, PDE) for the maintenance of our CAD-applications” Hiring strategy of the typical ERP-Application-Supplier: ”We look for . . .



MMMDE 2015

8 / 15

Experiences

Example 3: IT-department extension Some companies’ hiring strategies: ”We look for . . . . . . Mathematicians for programming our satellites (ESA) . . . Number theorists for the improvement of our cryptographic solutions (supplier of network solutions) . . . Statisticians for our data analytics products (BI provider) . . . Experts in Applied Mathematics (FEM, PDE) for the maintenance of our CAD-applications” Hiring strategy of the typical ERP-Application-Supplier: ”We look for . . . . . . University graduates for programming our business solutions”



MMMDE 2015

8 / 15

Experiences

Example 3: IT-department extension Some companies’ hiring strategies: ”We look for . . . . . . Mathematicians for programming our satellites (ESA) . . . Number theorists for the improvement of our cryptographic solutions (supplier of network solutions) . . . Statisticians for our data analytics products (BI provider) . . . Experts in Applied Mathematics (FEM, PDE) for the maintenance of our CAD-applications” Hiring strategy of the typical ERP-Application-Supplier: ”We look for . . . . . . University graduates for programming our business solutions” 4. Companies seem to accept this mismatch.



MMMDE 2015

8 / 15

Experiences

Example 4 - Perfect Case

Brand leader for print output solutions



MMMDE 2015

9 / 15

Experiences


Brand leader for print output solutions Event Structures for the management of causal dependencies (”Complexity management”): Guidance, basic principle



MMMDE 2015

9 / 15

Experiences


Brand leader for print output solutions Event Structures for the management of causal dependencies (”Complexity management”): Guidance, basic principle A developer’s comment: ”Now we understand the relevance of these BPM-foundations”



MMMDE 2015

9 / 15

Experiences


Brand leader for print output solutions Event Structures for the management of causal dependencies (”Complexity management”): Guidance, basic principle A developer’s comment: ”Now we understand the relevance of these BPM-foundations” . . . and: ”Our work was harmonised, since we adhered to a mathematical theory.”



MMMDE 2015

9 / 15

Experiences


Brand leader for print output solutions Event Structures for the management of causal dependencies (”Complexity management”): Guidance, basic principle A developer’s comment: ”Now we understand the relevance of these BPM-foundations” . . . and: ”Our work was harmonised, since we adhered to a mathematical theory.” 5. Developers trust domain-specific mathematical models (if they witness successful use) Harald König (FHDW Hannover)


MMMDE 2015

9 / 15

Implications

Outline

1

Experiences

2

Implications

3

Outcome



MMMDE 2015

10 / 15

Implications

(Provocative) Metaphor Software Applications are trees:



MMMDE 2015

11 / 15

Implications


Trunk: Framework (Transactions, Network, Encryption)



MMMDE 2015

11 / 15

Implications


Trunk: Framework (Transactions, Network, Encryption) Branches: Business Functions



MMMDE 2015

11 / 15

Implications


Trunk: Framework (Transactions, Network, Encryption) Branches: Business Functions Tree crown grows uncontrolled!



MMMDE 2015

11 / 15

Implications


Trunk: Framework (Transactions, Network, Encryption) Branches: Business Functions Tree crown grows uncontrolled! Get very old, can hardly be removed



MMMDE 2015

11 / 15

Implications


Trunk: Framework (Transactions, Network, Encryption) Branches: Business Functions Tree crown grows uncontrolled! Get very old, can hardly be removed Software landscapes are impenetrable jungles Harald König (FHDW Hannover)


MMMDE 2015

11 / 15

Implications

Summary so far: The Evolution Dilemma



MMMDE 2015

12 / 15

Implications

Summary so far: The Evolution Dilemma Today’s business solutions are old and intricate



MMMDE 2015

12 / 15

Implications

Summary so far: The Evolution Dilemma Today’s business solutions are old and intricate There are major impediments and constraints for . . . . . . renovation, . . . decrease of entropy, or . . . complete replacement.



MMMDE 2015

12 / 15

Implications


Even methodical first versions grow uncontrolled as time evolves

www.pinterest.com Harald König (FHDW Hannover)


MMMDE 2015

12 / 15

Implications



/

www.pinterest.com Harald König (FHDW Hannover)


MMMDE 2015

12 / 15

Implications

Résumée



MMMDE 2015

13 / 15

Implications

Résumée

1

Today’s business solutions are old and intricate

2




MMMDE 2015

13 / 15

Implications

Résumée

1


2


3

Impediments and constraints for radical overhaul



MMMDE 2015

13 / 15

Implications

Résumée

1


2


3


4

Developers of business solutions underestimate the significance of mathematical models (and companies agree)



MMMDE 2015

13 / 15

Implications

Résumée

1


2


3


4


5

Technical developers are mathematically minded

6

Even more if mathematical methods are purpose-driven



MMMDE 2015

13 / 15

Implications

Résumée

1


2


3


4


5

Technical developers are mathematically minded

6

Even more if mathematical methods are purpose-driven

7

Mathematical models ”at work” are very convincing



MMMDE 2015

13 / 15

Outcome

Outline

1

Experiences

2

Implications

3

Outcome



MMMDE 2015

14 / 15

Outcome

Summary There are 2 requirements and 2 corresponding hypotheses:



MMMDE 2015

15 / 15

Outcome

Summary There are 2 requirements and 2 corresponding hypotheses: (for business solutions) Formally support sustainable evolution ((semi-)automatically, through the whole life cycle). Guide legacy system rehabilitation with standardised migration paths.



MMMDE 2015

15 / 15

Outcome

Summary There are 2 requirements and 2 corresponding hypotheses: (for business solutions) Formally support sustainable evolution ((semi-)automatically, through the whole life cycle). Guide legacy system rehabilitation with standardised migration paths. Today’s theories do not seem to be mature enough to serve this purpose



MMMDE 2015

15 / 15

Outcome

Summary There are 2 requirements and 2 corresponding hypotheses: (for business solutions) Formally support sustainable evolution ((semi-)automatically, through the whole life cycle). Guide legacy system rehabilitation with standardised migration paths. Today’s theories do not seem to be mature enough to serve this purpose (general) Specify purposes of formal methods and convince business developers of their relevance!



MMMDE 2015

15 / 15

Outcome

Summary There are 2 requirements and 2 corresponding hypotheses: (for business solutions) Formally support sustainable evolution ((semi-)automatically, through the whole life cycle). Guide legacy system rehabilitation with standardised migration paths. Today’s theories do not seem to be mature enough to serve this purpose (general) Specify purposes of formal methods and convince business developers of their relevance! Formal methods are not assigned to application domains, they are often not approved in commercial solutions



MMMDE 2015

15 / 15

Outcome

Summary There are 2 requirements and 2 corresponding hypotheses: (for business solutions) Formally support sustainable evolution ((semi-)automatically, through the whole life cycle). Guide legacy system rehabilitation with standardised migration paths. Today’s theories do not seem to be mature enough to serve this purpose (general) Specify purposes of formal methods and convince business developers of their relevance! Formal methods are not assigned to application domains, they are often not approved in commercial solutions I leave these points for discussion and thank you for your attention. Harald König (FHDW Hannover)


MMMDE 2015

15 / 15