[jandrewrogers]

My own view is that something analogous to Conway's Law is at work: software design reflects the constraints inherent in the software methodology used.

The problem is not software methodologies per se, it is trying to apply a software methodology to software development where the priorities of the methodology are fundamentally at odds with the requirements and goals of the software being built. The root of the problem is the notion that there is one software methodology that is efficient and productive for all possible types of software development. I would argue that there is an optimal methodology for most software but it is a different methodology for different types of software.

If we discard the oft-argued proposition that a PHP website, an embedded system, and a high-performance database kernel can -- and should -- all be developed with the same software methodology then this entire discussion goes away. A software methodology is a tool; they work best when you select the best one for the job.