Definition: second-system effect

Search dictionary for

Source: The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (2003-OCT-10) 

second-system effect

   (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.  The term was first used by Fred Brooks in his
   classic "The Mythical Man-Month.  It described the jump from
   a set of nice, simple operating systems on the IBM 70xx
   series to OS/360 on the 360 series.  A similar effect can
   also happen in an evolving system; see Brooks's Law,
   creeping elegance, creeping featurism.  See also
   Multics, OS/2, X, software bloat.

   [Jargon File]

Source: Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001) 

second-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.
   The term was first used by Fred Brooks in his classic "The Mythical
   Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering" (Addison-Wesley, 1975; ISBN
   0-201-00650-2). It described the jump from a set of nice, simple
   operating systems on the IBM 70xx series to OS/360 on the 360 series. A
   similar effect can also happen in an evolving system; see Brooks's
   Law, creeping elegance, creeping featurism. See also Multics,
   OS/2, X, software bloat.

   This version of the jargon lexicon has been described (with altogether
   too much truth for comfort) as an example of second-system effect run
   amok on jargon-1....