tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533554759458923621.post4777433574942368528..comments2023-11-05T03:44:59.313-08:00Comments on Essence and Artifact: EVA: The Design Principle of Essence Versus ArtifactShane Brinkman-Davis Delamorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15859226113816420309noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533554759458923621.post-77191976411962003962022-08-31T11:55:25.637-07:002022-08-31T11:55:25.637-07:00We are providing affordable Rubber Roofing Service...We are providing affordable Rubber Roofing Services, click here <a href="https://foxroofinginc.com/services/rubber-roofing-services/" rel="nofollow">https://foxroofinginc.com/services/rubber-roofing-services</a> to book an appointment.MartenJameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10235547835801977725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533554759458923621.post-42888481487430751662022-08-31T11:55:06.682-07:002022-08-31T11:55:06.682-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.MartenJameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10235547835801977725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533554759458923621.post-62563595382031386322011-03-10T16:41:43.194-08:002011-03-10T16:41:43.194-08:00Excellent thoughts Jason. I also noticed how close...Excellent thoughts Jason. I also noticed how close my idea of "Essential" solutions is to the Platonic Ideals ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platonic_idealism ). In some sense, these are perfect ideas which are not achievable in reality, but are worth striving for.<br /><br />In some sense I am advocating striving for some indescribable perfection. I hope to elaborate more that I actually have a semi-objective notion of what these Essential Solutions look like, but overall I do realize that striving for perfection can lead to paralysis. You have to ship sometime. It's been my experience though, that with careful thought, you can put in 10% more effort and get a system which is 10x better - much closer to an essential solution.Shane Brinkman-Davis Delamorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15859226113816420309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533554759458923621.post-48939855521360010192011-03-10T08:59:21.362-08:002011-03-10T08:59:21.362-08:00Awesome!!
"Keep in mind that every actual th...Awesome!!<br /><br />"Keep in mind that every actual thing in existence is an Artifact and is in some way non-essential." - A very Buddhist idea. In a recent book, the Dalai Lama talks about how we view the world through the lens of our own concepts - abstractions that we use to make sense of the world.<br /><br />What's interesting to me about the world of software is that - just like the real world - it's a constructed of abstractions. With software, more than in the real world, I think, these abstractions can be leaky or inappropriate for certain situations - more artifact than essence. The hacker and Buddhist both know that everything is an abstraction, and strives to manipulate or discover the essence.<br /><br />But discovering this essence takes time and energy. That is the whole reason for the abstractions in the first place. We need the abstractions in order to make sense of the world, because we don't have unlimited time, attention, and knowledge.<br /><br />So, maybe the question we should be asking is: how do we create abstractions that degrade properly to expose the essence, rather than abstractions that obfuscate the essence with artifacts?<br /><br />Another question is: along the lines of the model-view dichotomy, is it (or should it be) possible to *change* your abstraction as might fit your present circumstances?<br /><br />I think human beings do this all the time in the real world; for example one day we might see Charlie Sheen as an amicable funny man, the next we might see him as a dangerous lunatic. Both pictures of reality (Stephen Hawking would call them "models", not to be confused with data models) are beneficial for certain purposes. Which best reflects the essence? In all seriousness, I'm not sure it's possible to answer that question.<br /><br />Right now, in code, we're restricted to the single set of abstractions that was laid down by the developer before us. Would it someday be possible to change our abstraction as may suit our conditions? That would be a neat trick.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09086512594259358568noreply@blogger.com