On 04/08/2015 11:05 AM, Adam Tauno Williams wrote:
Ugh, this historical trope. (A) It was never true that UNIX/LINUX was nicely modular (B) Modern systems, include modern DEs like GNOME, are extremely modular and competent oriented - they just stitch things together [rather] seamlessly [when it works] (C) It doesn't matter either way in diagnosing a problem.
We are using 'modular' in two different senses here. You are using 'modular' in the sense of 'structured software', thank you Ed Yourdon and many others. I am using 'modular' in the sense of discrete programs running in separate address spaces communicating using defined protocols over defined communication channels, the separation being enforced by the simple fact that they are not resident in the computer memory at the same time. And that being a roll-in/roll-out model not a virtual memory mapping model. I'm not questioning the 'modular' construction of things like Gnome. I am questioning what amounts to the call-tree and the combinatorial complexity of the execution path and how it all fits into one address space. The Yourdon model of modularity had a pretty strict 'tree' and issues about things like 'stubs'. Once we get into even-driven programming for things like Gnome and many GUI models, MVC and things like call-backs, we open a new can of worms in terms of complexity. All of a sudden 'modularity' has taken on a different meaning. Separate coding of things like 'plugins' that operate in the same address space are now 'modules. And we've all seen how that can produce problems in Firefox and Thunderbird: one of the basic debugging approaches there is to run with plugins disabled. Yes, "that was then, this is now". We have to deal with the "now", but the way we have built our "now" has replicated some of the problems I mentioned with CICS of old building too many functions into one megaprogram/address-space. -- A: Yes. > Q: Are you sure? >> A: Because it reverses the logical flow of conversation. >>> Q: Why is top posting frowned upon? -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org