Paper or Plastic?

How many times have you heard that question? It seems like a simple choice with little implication. Of course the environmentalists want you to choose paper (or bring your own bags - which is my preferred choice). In software development, we face similar questions each day when we choose directions to go with our code. Many times, they turn out to be simple questions but sometimes they have consequences that are unrealized for a long time. The longer we go not knowing the consequences, the more equity we build into our choice and the harder it is to backtrack. My temptation is to stop, go back, and take the other path which seems better. Sometimes though, the best track is to keep going and work around the problem. It might seem like the lazy way out, but we all have deliverable dates and backtracking costs money - sometimes a lot!