Re: Y2K, Silver bullets, all that jazz...

[Tim_Lennon/Thomas_Miller_at_Mutual@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

  From: Tim Lennon on 06/06/97 17:02
  
  "...I am pressed to  think manual is better faster and cheaper
  Do tell us more..."

  I think it all depends very much on your situation. Our decision not
  to use any tools was partly a function of the fact that we couldn't
  find anything which matched price and performance requirements. When
  we were looking, I think the market was a bit immature.

  You should also consider that, essentially, you'll never get the job
  done properly without looking at every line of code, so if you do
  decide to look for helper tools, look for ones which cut down a lot
  of the donkey work and repetitiveness - moving sources around,
  cross-checking, certain testing routines, etc.

  It's a lousy compromise, I know, but I think a successful project
  would make good use of both manual and automated techniques. If you
  look carefully at what you'll actually be doing, you'll find dozens
  of areas where you can cut down the worthless tasks which hack off
  your programmers. If you're paying programmers thousands of pounds a
  month, it's a good idea to get that money's worth out of them by
  using their intelligence and skills, rather than making them do
  tasks which can safely be automated.

  (In my humble opinion, he adds, slightly too late...)

  <Soapbox mode Off>
  <Disconnect>

  Tim Lennon.
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