One of Graphite’s greatest strengths and greatest weaknesses is the fact that very little of it was actually “designed” in the traditional sense. By and large Graphite evolved gradually, hurdle by hurdle, as problems arose. Many times the hurdles were foreseeable and various pre-emptive solutions seemed natural. However it can be useful to avoid solving problems you do not actually have yet, even if it seems likely that you soon will. The reason is that you can learn much more from closely studying actual failures than from theorizing about superior strategies.
