In defense of the Band-Aid
In software (and I’m sure other professions) “Band-Aid” is a dirty word. It’s used to mean a “quick fix”, a “shortcut”, or a “short-term solution”, and it often carries a negative connotation that I think is completely unfair.
We, as software engineers, need to find a better way to explain our concerns than simply calling something a “Band-Aid”. Similarly, often phrases like “hack”, “hacky”, or “proper way”, are used as a substitute for a rigorous, in-context evaluation of the trade offs associated with a particular solution.
Often we invoke the image of McGuyver with his rubber bands and super glue in order to, we think, illustrate how obviously lazy a solution is. The irony of this analogy is that unless you’re referring to the (subjectively) lazy writing of the show, McGuyver was working with what he had and solving problems with enough time to save the day - if he’d have stood around waiting for the “proper” solution he would have been dead.
Anyway, since we love using this word “Band-Aid” so much, let’s really explore the impact Band-Aids have had on the world and see if the negative connotation is fair.
Band-Aids fought in the war
During WWII the Band-Aid was a vital part of military first aid kits - in fact, it was their widespread use during the war that made them a household name. Band-Aids are cheap, pre-sterilized, portable, easy-to-use wound care that undoubtedly saved many lives in WWII. Can they save you from a bullet wound? Probably not. But there’s a lot more to war than bullets.
War is a dirty business, and infection and disease have historically been bigger killers than guns and bombs. There is no doubt that the Band-Aid was able to prevent many casualties through protecting small wounds from infection. And there’s not only the casualties to consider, but the on-flow effects, such as: reduced combat effectiveness due to fighting infection; understaffed fire teams; and overburdened field hospitals due to dealing with additional casualties.
Have you ever saved any lives? If not, then perhaps you should reconsider your attitude toward Band-Aids. If you have saved a life, then how would you feel if someone took your name in vain, like they do with the underappreciated Band-Aid?
Band-Aids went to the moon
The Apollo 11 spacecraft that carried Neil Diamond, Buzz Lightyear, and that other guy, to the moon carried Band-Aids on-board in its medical kit. That’s right. One of the greatest achievements in human history was accompanied by Band-Aids.
The spacecraft could not carry the team’s doctor, Bill Carpenter, and so again having cheap, portable, easy-to-use wound care was essential to ensuring a safe flight. Remember when we went to the moon we did not know it to be sterile - “moon germs” were a real concern, and even though scientists were fairly convinced there was no life up there they had to be sure.
And so if a mission so meticulously planned, and so crucial to geopolitics at the time, decided that Band-Aids were the right choice, who are we to look down on them? They’ve seen the Earthrise; they’ve looked down on us.
A brief digression about lawnmowers
When I became a homeowner, I acquired my first lawnmower. After a year or two of solid use, I noticed it was not cutting as well as before. I inspected the blades, and noticed they could do with some filing.
I asked my dad, source of all knowledge on lawnmowers, how sharp I should go. He said “about as sharp as a butter knife - sharp enough to cut grass, and no sharper.” Curious, I asked “why not make them sharper? Won’t they cut better?” And he said, “let me rephrase - sharp enough to cut grass, not sharp enough to remove your toes.”
I got to filing the blades. At one point I slipped and grazed the side of my finger and it started to bleed. I cleaned the wound and applied a Band-Aid.
What’s your point?
My point here is that sometimes a Band-Aid is all you need. If you cut your finger, then a Band-Aid might be precisely the right solution - why would you get stitches for a splinter? Why would you surgically amputate a perfectly good finger because you ripped a hangnail? Why continue to sharpen your mower blades so far as to only improve their ability to divorce you from your phalanges?
When we dismiss a solution as a “Band-Aid”, or we say that it’s “a hack / hacky”, or that we should do things the “proper way”, we’re being lazy - unlike our hero McGuyver - and we’re potentially missing a perfectly suitable solution based on what - some misplaced sense of superiority? Our job can’t possibly be cheap, quick, or simple? A solution seems too easy - so it must be a “hack”!
We want to replace these terms with a rigorous, clear debate about the trade-offs of one solution against another in the current context. A doctor may be ideal if you have cut yourself, but a Band-Aid will probably be just fine, save a lot of time and effort, and let the doctor deal with something potentially more serious that a Band-Aid can’t help with.
Next time you catch yourself, or another engineer, using these terms, remind them that Band-Aids helped defeat the Axis powers and the USSR - so they should show some respect.