I think the earlier (1970s) and non-pejorative use of this term "big ball of mud" (e.g., as applied to LISP compared APL) is also insightful.
To wit, if what you have is a big ball of mud anything you add to it becomes mud too. At least without heroic effort, this seems to be true. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it is worth recognizing in systems thinking.
To wit, if what you have is a big ball of mud anything you add to it becomes mud too. At least without heroic effort, this seems to be true. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it is worth recognizing in systems thinking.