The Inner-Platform Effect

The Inner-Platform Effect anti-pattern is a nice description of what I try to avoid with document generation. The task of making a document template becomes so complicated that only an expert can use it.

In a way it reminds me of XP (extreme programming); keep it as simple as possible. Wait till the latest moment adding flexibility till is really needed.

Another analogy is the J2EE / EJB programming model; programmers should focus on writing business logic. However tying the whole thing together on an application server like WAS was a nightmare and required more expertise than solving the original business problem.