I don't see those options as being mutually exclusive. Temprarily continuing the space shuttle program while a new vehicle is being developed seems to be a good idea. Otherwise, NASA might succumb to pressure to rush the design, and the effects of that seem far more disasterous in my opinion.
The shuttle program has 28 flights remaining on its books before the orbiters are scheduled to be mothballed toward the end of the decade. All are in support of the International Space Station, which remains under construction.
The shuttles are back, but only temporarily. Work on their replacements is likely being done now.
I would tend to disagree with that. While one should weigh the performance against an overabundance of features, overzealous optimization can also result in problems. Remember that Knuth said "Premature optimization is the root of all evil."
If someone took your idea to the extreme, you might get something like this: "What does it do?" "Nothing, but look how *fast* it does it?"
I think the best solution is moderation in both ends.
Slashdot Mirror
I don't see those options as being mutually exclusive. Temprarily continuing the space shuttle program while a new vehicle is being developed seems to be a good idea. Otherwise, NASA might succumb to pressure to rush the design, and the effects of that seem far more disasterous in my opinion.
I would tend to disagree with that. While one should weigh the performance against an overabundance of features, overzealous optimization can also result in problems. Remember that Knuth said "Premature optimization is the root of all evil."
If someone took your idea to the extreme, you might get something like this:
"What does it do?"
"Nothing, but look how *fast* it does it?"
I think the best solution is moderation in both ends.