Most things are cross-cutting concerns. For example, database access and security are issues that entity-specific modules have to deal with, and it's best to share those features rather than have every entity reinvent it.
Early in the GUI days, you had UI components that were pretty independent. But now they are expected to match the look and feel of given OS versions or brands such that they can no longer be truly isolated: they are expected to integrate somewhat with the OS. If people had the guts to live with "ugly", a lot of things could be simplified. I discuss saying "no" to the IT Fashion Show nearby. It may read like a git-off-my-lawn rant, but software could be cheaper if you kick fadsters off your lawn. Beauty ain't free.
Re:A Plea for Lean Software (1995) [pdf]
by delusional on Monday June 28, 2021 @12:19PM
(#27663836)
That's an interesting take. My observation is quite the opposite, with each application seemingly overriding systems style willy nilly. I'd say that application styling has become MORE differentiated.
(Long ago, the software industry wanted to copy the electronics industry, where people would assemble software from components listed in catalogs. We never quite got there, but you can see the influence of this metaphor all over the place when people talk about "components". It required the development of libre+gratuit Free online libraries to get there, causing an absolute Cambrian explosion and the left-pad problem)