Software plots

There are seven basic story plots:

  1. Overcoming the monster
  2. Rags to riches
  3. The quest
  4. Voyage and return
  5. Comedy
  6. Tragedy
  7. Rebirth

How many distinct software “plots” are there?

  1. Making an impossible thing possible
  2. Automating or eliminating a manual thing
  3. Making a slow thing faster1
  4. Making a manual thing easier - inline definitions/translations, note-taking software that allows you to easily group related notes
  5. Entertaining the user

Let me know if you can think of any more.

  1. This is particularly powerful when you transition between orders of magnitude and facilitate a positive feedback loop. Make my test suite 15% faster and I’ll thank you kindly. Make it 10x faster and I’ll love you forever. 

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