Mashup Patterns: Designs and Examples for the Modern Enterprise

Chapter 9. Anti-patterns

The appearance of right oft leads us wrong.—Horace (65 B.C.–8 B.C.)

Introduction

If the patterns discussed in the previous chapters represent the bright dawn of mashup use within the enterprise, then anti-patterns are the noisy neighbor who cuts his lawn at 6 A.M. and keeps you from getting any work done. They are the distractions, the shortcuts, and the mistakes to which we’re all vulnerable. Like patterns, anti-patterns are not unique to mashups. Just as there are repeatable approaches for tackling many problems, so a variety of pitfalls and traps await the unwary explorer. Although the most common users of anti-patterns are the nontechnical or inexperienced, anyone can venture down the wrong path when decisions are ...