Slashdot Mirror


Model-View-Controller — Misunderstood and Misused

paradox1x writes "Malcolm Tredinnick shares a terrific rant against the misunderstanding and misuse of the Model-View-Controller design pattern. In particular he takes issue with the notion that Django should be considered an MVC framework. He says that 'It's as valid as saying it's a "circus support mechanism," since the statement is both true, in some contexts, and false in others (you can definitely use Django-based code to help run your circus; stop looking so skeptical).' I'm not sure I agree with the entire piece, but it is a very good read." We recently discussed another look at the bending and stretching of MVC patterns in the world of Web development.

6 of 221 comments (clear)

  1. Pedantry by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So let me get this straight: you're upset because some developers are misusing a term and giving their product more credit than it should have?

    Well, that's never happened before!

  2. Author is Pedantic by iluvcapra · · Score: 5, Insightful

    And does quite a bit of complaining about Django without completely demonstrating his point. I'm still foggy about his complete idea of what he believes the original interpretation of a "Controller" is, which is really the heart of the matter and where most people seem to disagree. His "model" of what MVC is is not explicated in his view, as represented by his blog post.

    MVC is a pattern, not a set of rules, a coding style, house style, development framework, or development process. If you have three modules, one doing presentation, one doing state, and one mediating, you're doing MVC. What specific functions go where (is sorting on the model? is validation of this field in the view?) is specific to the problem domain.

    IMHO

    --
    Don't blame me, I voted for Baltar.
  3. huh? by larry+bagina · · Score: 5, Funny

    Since when did they let long winded douchebags with nothing to say have blogs?

    --
    Do you even lift?

    These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.

  4. Re:wait a second! by mmkkbb · · Score: 5, Funny

    The purest algorithms never touch a keyboard; only pencil, paper, and thought.

    --
    -mkb
  5. Django by styrotech · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I was under the impression that the Django team don't consider it to be MVC themselves, but they've just given up the losing battle of explaining the difference to the masses who think that MVC is the only good way you can arrange 3 different tiers of an application. So they've shrugged their shoulders and effectively said "Fine. If you want Django to be MVC, it is MVC. Now drop it and let us get back to developing it.".

  6. Re:Wrong. by plover · · Score: 5, Funny

    Author is Pedantic

    No he isn't. He critisizes the incorrect use and application of the term MVC and the misconception and the pointless enforcement of a wrong concept of MVC in places where it is often more than pointless to do so. Like in most modern web application scenarious.

    I think you just pretty much quoted the dictionary definition of a pedant, specifically definition 2B.

    Rather a lot like I'm doing now. </pedantic>

    --
    John