Too Long; Didn't Read
The phrase “No Silver Bullet” is widely used in the industry. In this article we will revisit the classic paper by Fred Brooks that gave rise to it. Brooks argues that no present (in 1986) or future technological development (at least up to the date of the article), will be able to reduce the costs and planning of software projects. The silver bullet metaphor, which gives the article its title, has two meanings: We are facing a monster that cannot be eliminated with conventional and known weapons. The second meaning tells us about an enemy who was our ally, but later became our greatest fear.