...there are no general principles or techniques of software design. I hope that someday we will discover such principles.
Many of us already have.
The lack of a Universal Theory of Software Design != "no general principles or techniques".
Anyone programming today is standing on the shoulders of giants. Their trial and error is our starting point. No, they didn't figure everything out, but it they had, programs would be written by other computers, not us. Maybe someday, but I, for one, am not quite ready for that.
Many of us already have.
The lack of a Universal Theory of Software Design != "no general principles or techniques".
Anyone programming today is standing on the shoulders of giants. Their trial and error is our starting point. No, they didn't figure everything out, but it they had, programs would be written by other computers, not us. Maybe someday, but I, for one, am not quite ready for that.