Forging a silver bullet from the essence of software

Most improvements in software development technology have occurred by eliminating the accidental aspects of the technology. Further progress now depends on addressing the essence of software. Fred Brooks has characterized the essence of software as a complex construct of interlocking concepts. He concludes that no silver bullet will magically reduce the essential conceptual complexity of software. This paper expands on Brooks's definition to lay a foundation for forging a possible silver bullet. Discussed are the three essential attributes of software entities from which a number of consequences arise in software development: (1) conceptual content, (2) representation, and (3) multiple subdomains. Four basic approaches to develop technologies are proposed that directly address the essential attributes. Although some of these technologies require additional development or testing, they present the most promise for forging a silver bullet. Among them, design reabstraction addresses the most difficult attribute, multiple subdomains, and the most difficult consequence, enhancing existing code, making it the best prospect.