creeping featurism

creeping featurism
 /kree'ping fee'chr.izm/, n.

   [common]

   1. Describes a systematic tendency to load more {chrome} and
   {feature}s onto systems at the expense of whatever elegance they may
   have possessed when originally designed. See also {feeping
   creaturism}. "You know, the main problem with {BSD} Unix has always
   been creeping featurism."

   2. More generally, the tendency for anything complicated to become
   even more complicated because people keep saying "Gee, it would be
   even better if it had this feature too". (See {feature}.) The result
   is usually a patchwork because it grew one ad-hoc step at a time,
   rather than being planned. Planning is a lot of work, but it's easy to
   add just one extra little feature to help someone ... and then another
   ... and another.... When creeping featurism gets out of hand, it's
   like a cancer. The GNU hello program, intended to illustrate {GNU}
   command-line switch and coding conventions, is also a wonderful parody
   of creeping featurism; the distribution changelog is particularly
   funny. Usually this term is used to describe computer programs, but it
   could also be said of the federal government, the IRS 1040 form, and
   new cars. A similar phenomenon sometimes afflicts conscious redesigns;
   see {second-system effect}. See also {creeping elegance}.
    

creeping featurism
feature creep

   <jargon> /kree'ping fee'chr-izm/ (Or "feature creep") A
   systematic tendency to load more {chrome} and {features} onto
   systems at the expense of whatever elegance they may have
   possessed when originally designed.  "The main problem with
   {BSD} Unix has always been creeping featurism."

   More generally, creeping featurism is the tendency for
   anything to become more complicated because people keep saying
   "Gee, it would be even better if it had this feature too".
   The result is usually a patchwork because it grew one ad-hoc
   step at a time, rather than being planned.  Planning is a lot
   of work, but it's easy to add just one extra little feature to
   help someone, and then another, and another, ....  When
   creeping featurism gets out of hand, it's like a cancer.

   Usually this term is used to describe computer programs, but
   it could also be said of the federal government, the IRS 1040
   form, and new cars.  A similar phenomenon sometimes afflicts
   conscious redesigns; see {second-system effect}.  See also
   {creeping elegance}.

   [{Jargon File}]

   (1997-08-03)