RE: The Future -- MIDRANGE-L

OK.
Q: What is the number one cost factor creating software for businesses (our line of work)?A: Complexity, vague and changing requirements.

Q: How do you handle this complexity, and changing requirements?A: Make abstractions, encapsulate, and defer decisions (stubs).

Q: What tool (i.e. programming language) handles this bestA: Don't know, but it sure isn't RPG

To: midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: The Future
From: BMartin@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2010 11:02:41 -0400

I think you misunderstand my definition of software developer. I was in
no way talking about anything hobbyist. I don't EXCLUDE creating useful
software, rather I add the requirement that they have a desire outside
creating a useful program with a focus on the technology and techniques
used. This includes proper planning and proper coding, along with being
abreast of the most efficient ways to do things. All these things lead to
cost effective software. Its more of a by product of a job truly well
done. I agree, there are a lot of big balls of mud. But when the boss
asks if there is anyway to do it quicker than 3 weeks, and you say...
"Yeah, I could do it in a week but I don't want to because it will be
ugly, and be bad in the long run". Well, your boss's boss is giving him
heat and this needs to be done yesterday so you now have a deadline of 1
week. Guess how it gets done?

Of course you can buck the system and refuse, but how many times before
your boss finds a "team player". Not every ball of mud was created
because someone thought it was the best way. They are incremental, years
and years of different developers hammering away at the same code. Each
time one of them does it makes a rewrite less and less practical (looking
at strictly the cost of the moment in time and money which is how the boss
sees it).

You act like people are out there just thinking up ways to piss you off
with their coding. Some is ignorance, some bad practices, some
circumstances of making a living.

Thanks
Bryce Martin
Programmer/Analyst I
570-546-4777

john e <jacobus1968@xxxxxxxxxxx>
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RE: The Future

In my mind a "software developer" loves technology and wants to do cool
new things to make advances in technology itself, not just creating useful
things for thier customers.
Wrong.
A software developer is no hobbyist. It develops software in a cost
effective way. To earn more money, that is. That is something
different.And RPG is really not cost effective. The balls of mud i
encounter in my career is staggering.\So much dollars wasted, for
something that barely works.No industry where there is that kind of
discrepancy, it's almost criminal. Well thats my feeling enyway and i
apologize right here for those people who feel insulted.If i ask my
manager to invest some more time in a solution you sometimes get an answer
like "we don't need a porsche, a volkswagen is ok". I agree with that, but
i was not talking about a porsche. I talked about a volkswagen, which is
cost effective. But implementing a solution "the fast way" (and again and
again) you get someting like a horse wagon, with two horses in the front
and one on the top, half as steering weel, a steam engine thingy somewhere
stuck away, etc. You get my drift. This is not "cost affective". It
"works"!
(kinda), but thats the situation.

To: midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: The Future
From: BMartin@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2010 09:11:50 -0400

Holiday Inn Express Dennis, Express! You obviously didn't stay in one
last night or you would have known 8-)

Anywho, coming from someone who is not defeated ..... ME, I would tend

to

agree with John on the most contentious point.... (remember, this is a
generalization, there are far more people programming in RPG for non
vendor companies than there are for vendor companies). This probably
doesn't apply to people programming RPG in a vendor shop, this applies
more to those programming in standard shops out in the field. I would
agree that most RPGers don't have the mentality of a "software

developer"

(each person has their own impression of this term). But I think that
this isn't because they "don't care", or as I've seen posted before
"lazy". Sometimes that is the case, but that is everywhere with any

job.

I think this goes a long way to the fact that most RPGers writing

business

code are in fact taking Specs and creating programs as management sees
fit. This isn't the fault of the programmer, they're doing their job.
Over time however you get worn down by decision makers saying... "No, do

it my way!" and after a while they can get so far behind the times that
they give up and just try to stick it out until retirement. They are
defeated.

Yet others I think are so busy doing their jobs, and possibly really
enjoying what they do, seeing people use the programs they made even if
they were someone else's idea. The person with the idea(request)

couldn't

do it, so the programmer gets a sense of satisfaction that they did

their

part. Eventually at some point they get curious about some new shiny

buzz

worthy thing and wonder what its all about. They do some research and
realize that they don't have the resources in their current job to check

it out or learn about it, but realize that it is valuable. This seems

to

be where Kelly is at.

Look, some people want to come to work, do their job, get their check

and

go home. They don't want to take work home with them, and don't really
care to use a computer at home much since they use one all day long. I
would agree that these people don't really fit the "software developer"
architype. In my mind a "software developer" loves technology and wants

to do cool new things to make advances in technology itself, not just
creating useful things for thier customers. Its about pushing the
envelope and a passion for what you do.

The fact that John just flat out suggests that Kelly is "too late to the

game" for wanting to learn new programming languages and techniques is
short sighted. And telling her to change careers all together, to me,
sounds very insulting and disrespectful. Kelly, keep your chin up, once

you start learning another language or two you will realize that

learning

more languages isn't very hard. The syntax from one to another can
sometimes be very similar and the same with techniques. In my first 3
years on the job I learned RPGLE, CL(if you consider it a language),
HTML/CSS, Javascript, Java, and PHP. Of course, you stay sharpest in

the

ones you use most, but once you learn the language and complete a fairly

significant project with it you'll always remember the nuances you

learned

and will be able to get back on that bike when needed.

Thanks
Bryce Martin
Programmer/Analyst I
570-546-4777

"Dennis Lovelady" <iseries@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent by: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
09/16/2010 08:16 AM
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RE: The Future

DrFranken wrote:

I'm not a Doctor, but I play one on the computer.

I heard he also spent the night in a Holiday Inn at some point in his
past.

Dennis Lovelady
http://www.linkedin.com/in/dennislovelady
--
"Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good
example."
-- Mark Twain

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