Phil Wainwright recently picked up on a rather clever dig against ERP, putting up a picture of a concrete block, and equating it with ERP systems.
At first I laughed and grimaced slightly. I thought about arguing about SOA but then luckily I remembered a building architect friend of mine raving about concrete.
He eulogised about how strong, elegant, durable, flexible, economical and beautiful it is. It enables structures and forms that were previously unimaginable. Construction costs are significantly lower because of concrete, and it comes in many forms. Concrete is the backbone of modern construction, and it continues to evolve.
(photo of the Humber bridge, courtesy of Sunshine Hannan’s flickr)
The Clyde Arc, also known as Squinty Bridge. (courtesy Colin Angus Mackay: his dayjob site is here.
True, concrete has spawned some monstrosities, but it produces structures and buildings that delight and revolutionise the way we live.
On the other hand putty: It fills hairline cracks. Is great for children and artists or for taking imprints of keys in spy movies. It is useful for keeping glass in place in old buildings, and has been used by Nick Park with great success. Also, unless you keep the lid on the jar it turns into a brittle blob.
But software architecture, like building architecture, is more complex this post makes out. Stewart Brand’s pace layering deserves more attention. Perhaps more on that another day.
Vendorprisey 
Thomas… one of the most eloquent and effective arguments for ERP I have ever seen.
excellent! – this is well stated – there must be some rhetorical term for this. i, for one, will be referring to your argument in future presentations
yours images are very nice