[underbluewaters]

Can someone explain this metaphor for me? My understanding is that a silver bullet kills mythical creatures. You can't also kill a werewolf with a bunch of lead ones.

[VLM]

Fred Brooks 1986 titled "No Silver Bullet"

Nothing is ever really new in software development or IT. Today, sure, people are like "Fred who?" but as surely as virtual machine wax and wane, someday a generation will arise, for awhile, having read Brooks and his timeless observations on software development. Maybe I should quit my job and write book introductions professionally?

I'm not sure if there is a legal copy out there on the net, but here's its wikipedia page anyway. Hurry, or the deletionists will get it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Silver_Bullet

[gukov]

I thought the article applied to real life very well.

You often procrastinate by overthinking and overplanning when the best approach to check off that item on the to-do list is to just do it.

silver bullet == not acting in hopes to eventually come up with a magical solution

lead bullet == the solution is dull but obvious, you just do it

[SerLava]

Silver bullet means an easy way out- usually clever but always relatively easy in the execution.

[dmckeon]

Many cheap fast improvements now are better than one perfect improvement later. (see also: "I don't need it perfect, I need it Tuesday" (Sam Goldwyn?) and "cheap, fast, good: pick two."

I think the bullet part of the metaphor has more to do with https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_bullet_%28medicine%29 than with Fred Brooks, the Lone Ranger, or werewolves.

[metaphorm]

you're right, the metaphor has drifted from its original context and meaning. silver bullet, in this context, is being used to mean something more like "magic bullet" i.e. a bullet that always hits the target on the first shot, and thus only one is ever needed.

[fao_]

Well you should be able to kill a warewolf with a gattling gun.