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There Is No Silver Bullet in Software Development
Every programming rule I teach is wrong. And that’s exactly why you should follow it.
Every experienced developer knows the honest answer to most technical questions is “it depends.” Yet we rarely say it. Not because we’re arrogant or lazy, but because we’ve learned something paradoxical: the best way to teach “there are no silver bullets” is to hand someone a silver bullet and let them discover its limits themselves.
My professor changed me forever with two words:
“It depends!”
Every class, he’d ask seemingly innocent questions. “Which is better, Microsoft Access or MS SQL Server?” Students would confidently declare SQL Server — obviously more powerful, more flexible, and more real. Then he’d shout those two words that would stay with us forever: “It depends!”
“Your friend’s video rental shop with 200 customers? SQL Server would be absurd. Access would be perfect.”
By semester’s end, we couldn’t answer anything without pondering deeply. We’d become paralyzed by nuance. And we loved it!
Twenty years later, I write articles about software development. I share rules, patterns, and principles. “Don’t use mocks in your tests.” “Never rewrite from…
