Jacobson's Laws

First Law of Projects:

  • The first 90% of the project takes the first 90% of the time. The last 10% of the project consumes the second 90% of the time.

    Steve's Maxim:

  • Device drivers always take longer than you think.

    First Law of Debugging:

  • Always debug the easiest problem first -- resolving that may also fix the harder problem.

    First Law of Technology:

  • Just because technology makes something possible does not mean you should do it.

    First Law of Communications:

  • A problem which takes an entire 15 minutes to resolve through ordinary discourse can be resolved in only two hours using combative and inflammatory rhetoric.

    First Law of Driving:

  • The slower a driver wishes to drive, the more desperately he needs to be in front of you.

    Second Law of Driving:

  • The speed limit on a 40 MPH street is not 32 MPH. But, if there are three drivers in front of you, the deepest, most cherished belief of one of them will be that it is.

    Third Law of Driving:

  • Life is a zombie movie. Witness the Commute of the Living Dead happening every morning in Santa Clara.

    Fourth Law of Driving:

  • The slower a driver drives, the more upset he will get when you go around him.

    First Law of Management:

  • A manager who treat an employee as if he is capable of great things is usually right. A manager who treats an employee as if he is a waste of space usually ends up being right as well.

  • Corrolary: If a manager values an employee, but the employee has no way to know it, the First Law of Management still holds.