What ChatGPT thinks about Taxonomy
“Taxonomy is the buzzword that makes software engineers feel like they have their code organized, even if it’s just a bunch of fancy categories with no real purpose.”
IMPRESSIVE! Although ChatGPT may be correct in its meaning, it’s still important to understand what it’s all about because let’s be real - big boys love their fancy jargon.
What is Taxonomy?
Before we dive into the software aspect of taxonomy, let’s first define what it means. Taxonomy is the process of organizing and classifying things based on their characteristics.
- In biology, this means grouping organisms based on their physical traits and evolutionary history.
- In software engineering, it means categorizing different types of code based on their functionality and purpose.
The Taxonomy of Programming Languages
Let’s start with an example that most people are familiar with: programming languages. There are so many programming languages out there that it can be overwhelming to choose which one to use for a specific project. That’s where taxonomy comes in handy. We can group programming languages based on their characteristics, such as syntax, purpose, and popularity.
For instance, we could classify programming languages into the following categories:
- Web Development Languages: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, Ruby, Python
- Data Science Languages: R, Python, Julia, MATLAB
- System Administration Languages: Bash, PowerShell, Perl
- Mobile App Development Languages: Java, Swift, Kotlin
See? It’s not so scary after all. By organizing programming languages into these categories, we can easily determine which language is best suited for a particular task.
The Taxonomy of Software Design Patterns
Another area where taxonomy is useful in software engineering is in software design patterns. Design patterns are reusable solutions to common software problems. There are many different types of design patterns, each with its own unique characteristics and use cases.
For example, we could classify design patterns into the following categories:
- Singleton Pattern: Creational Pattern
- Observer Pattern: Behavioral Pattern
- Adapter Pattern: Structural Pattern
By organizing design patterns into categories like creational, behavioral, and structural, we can easily identify which pattern is best suited for a particular problem.
This can be totally different in your company though!
For instance, in my company, Taxonomies are used to identify and track individual elements of configuration across different environments and versions, as well as to associate configuration elements with product taxonomies. They also help with version control and reverting erroneous configuration changes. Additionally, taxonomies aid in migrating configurations between deprecated and replacement taxonomies, and enable no-touch configuration deployment and feature version migration in production environments.
But I just saw you use product taxonomies in your blog post! What is that?
Well, imagine if your software system was a big zoo. Just like how animals are categorized into different species based on their characteristics and traits, software products or components can be organized and classified into different categories based on their functionality and purpose. This is where product taxonomy comes in handy.
Think of product taxonomy as the zookeeper who makes sure that all the animals are in the right enclosures. In software engineering, product taxonomy helps developers organize and classify software products or components into different categories, making it easier to understand and navigate the software system.
For instance, let’s say you’re developing a mobile app. You could use product taxonomy to categorize the different features and functions of the app. You might have categories like:
- User Interface: login screen, home screen, settings
- Functionality: messaging, notifications, search
- Integration: social media, payment gateway, third-party APIs
By using product taxonomy, you can better understand the relationships between different software products or components and make more informed decisions about how to design, develop, and implement them.
P.S. Wow, we just waded through a swamp of jargon and buzzwords. I wish we could just speak plainly in our field, but alas, some folks think just using fancy words makes them sound smarter even if they do not know what they are talking about. Personally, I think it’s pretty sad - like putting a top hat on a hamster and calling it a gentleman. Until next time. Cheer! 🍺