
Snowman Architecture Part One: Overview - aespinoza
http://simplearchitectures.blogspot.com/2012/09/snowman-architecture-part-one-overview.html
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aaronbrethorst
I don't think this is a joke, but sentences like this make me wonder a bit:

    
    
        If Snowman Architecture sounds too informal to you,
        feel free to refer to it by it's formal name: Vertically
        Aligned Synergistically Partitioned (VASP) Architecture.

~~~
eckyptang
It probably isn't a joke. I see stuff like this all the time.

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eckyptang
Sorry if this stings a bit...

We already sort of do this (without the bad bits) and have done since about
2001.

This is a little buzzword filled and doesn't deal with the system-level
practicalities of enterprise architecture. It seems like an internal technical
proposal written up to sell to the business rather than a practical
discussion. Mind you, what can you expect from a CTO...

Regarding practicalities, it's a royal pain in the arse managing component and
messaging contract versioning between "tall" architectures like this.

Also it doesn't work well with a SaaS model as the logical partitioning is
more complicated with different isolation requirements for different clients.
Complexity goes up O(log N).

Synergistic partitioning is pretty obvious and doesn't require an essay.

Keeping things within budget is about managing scope and coupling, that is
all.

Nothing new here.

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mbailey
Thought the same thing after a quick scan. This is kinda how we do EA
already...

However, EA literature often repeats the obvious, maybe we're not the right
audience...

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smartkids
"Wow, this just what we've been looking for! Where have you guys been all
these years?"

The sad thing is it's not what we think that matters. If clients fall for the
buzzspeak, it's irrelevant if that what they're paying for, believing it's
"new" and "different", already exists.

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RogerSessions
eckyptang: I think you may be mistaking synergistic placement of methods at
the technical level (which I don't recommend) which synergistic placement of
methods at the business level (which I do.) And you are right about the
difficulty of managing messages. This is why the "simple" concept is critical.
You might check out my Math of IT Simplification White paper for more on this.
\- Roger

