Describes a tendency for parts of a
design to become elegant past the point of diminishing return,
something which often happens at the expense of the less
interesting parts of the design, the schedule, and other things
deemed important in the Real World. See also creeping
econd-system effect: n. (sometimes, more euphoniously
`second-system syndrome') When one is designing the successor to
a relatively small, elegant, and successful system, there is a
tendency to become grandiose in one's success and design an
{elephantine} feature-laden monstrosity....
econd-system effect n.
(sometimes, more euphoniously
`second-system syndrome') When one is designing the successor to
a relatively small, elegant, and successful system, there is a
tendency to become grandiose in one's success and design an
elephantine feature-laden monstrosity....