Lovers' Waltz

Strike The Band
The RSS Waltz

We just want all the software to dance.
What we write on our weblogs we want to appear
On each browser, syndicator, newsreader, and such
That our readers install. Is that asking too much?

I'm distressed to confess: we're all in a mess,
But nEcho is getting arcane,
If it's not really simple it's bound to go wrong
And we'll never get dancing again.

Now dancing's not really that hard,
But folks have their limits, their doubts and their faults.
The point's not to show that you're modern and smart,
The point is to get them to stand up and waltz.

I know that its tough, but enough is enough
And politics isn't our game.
If some folks don't like chilis, then leave out the spice
Or we'll never get dancing again.

And 'doing it right' isn't wise,
If that means the new standard has three APIs.
If it does, every system will tread
On the toes of the others. It'll come to a head.

We need to cement the consent that we meant
To secure, or we'll never sustain
The hope of community. You've got to herd cats
Or we'll never get dancing again.

We're all building with dreams and with rust.
And the faith of the writers who trust us to know
How to build things that work, made from magic and dust.
Mr. Safe is a phantom: get on with the show.

To advance, to enhance, to seize on this chance
To get everything general and neat
At the cost of complexity will lead to perplexity
And our systems will soon get sore feet.

We all want all our software to dance.
But the harder the dance gets, the more people stand
On the sides, looking on. Keep things simple and small,
Get them out on the floor and then strike up the band.

I liked Pie, my oh my, it was simple, and (sigh)
It was something we call could acclaim.
Let's go back to small, simple formats, and then
We'll invite them to dance once again.

It's a way just to say what you've said
And to tell the machines that you've said something. Plain
And simple are plenty. Just don't try too hard
And we'll soon get them dancing again.