PathDependence is when taking one choice precludes another.

For instance - no one buys Beta for the home.  Had Beta been just a bit more popular or a bit earlier it would be the VHS owners looking lonely.

* ''The younger generation will have no idea what this is talking about.''

It occurs to me that XP vs HeavyWeightMethodologies may be a bit the same.  If you do XP you have CleanCode which allows you to do XP.  If you do BigDesign you lock yourself into a model where the ChangeCostCurve is indeed exponential and it does make sense to do more and more design up front.  In each case, what you do generates good reasons for doing more of the same.

If so, it might mean that XpLite is not going to work.  Without FullXp perhaps the reduced returns of XpLite are _not_ worth the investment.

On the other paw, I know Kent reports that XP originally evolved, it didn't appear fully grown.  So perhaps there is hope that XpLite offers a way to evolve towards FullXp?  --ba

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On "for instance" above:
* Beta video format ''vs'' VHS video format
** http://www.mediacollege.com/video/format/compare/betamax-vhs.html
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See also DifferenceThatMakesaDifference