a day ago
- "Symbiosisware" is software designed for a single user who is also its developer.
- It often has more minor bugs because fixing them is less effort-efficient than working around them.
- It is tailored to the developer's specific environment, ignoring portability and generalizability.
- User interface metaphors are often absent because the developer already understands the program's inner workings.
- The software and user co-adapt to each other, making it hard to separate them, akin to biological symbiosis.
- Converting symbiosisware into released software requires significant effort in both redesigning the software and retraining the developer's habits.