Most software design is lousy. Most software is so bad, in fact, that if it were a bridge, no one in his or her right mind would walk across it. If it were a house, we would be afraid to enter. If software design were as visible as a bridge or house, we would be hiding our heads in shame. Software aesthetics is a qualitative judgment, but, like physical architecture, it includes some general principles.
All beautiful software has the following properties.
This InternetWeek article points to how baddly some companies have overspent on their application server needs. Not every enterprise should abandon EJB and high-end app servers. The point is, you don't always need a Mercedes-Benz to get you where you need to go. Com Goes Lightweight . Note again how the solution is still Java - just on a smaller platform.