Re: Software Vendors

Booth,

In a message dated 11/30/99 9:25:08 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
boothm@earth.goddard.edu writes:

> Writing good software is difficult even on a good day.  Add in the fact 
>  that there are pressures from customers and competitors, the only real 
>  surprise is that anything gets delivered.  We shouldn't be so fast to rush 
>  software vendors into oblivion.  Their risks are huge, their costs are 
>  huge, and their rewards, excepting for a meager few, are not all that 
>  great.  Our challenge is to provide good dependable software for the 
>  prices paid, not to pummel vendors into oblivion.

I hate to disagree, but I take the exact opposite position.  Writing good 
software should be _ABSOLUTELY PARAMOUNT_, even when you're having a _bad_ 
day.  As far as the pressures, the old (and highly overused) 
good/fast/cheap/pick any two triangle comes to bear.  If the software is well 
written to begin with, it ends up saving the developers time in the long run 
when they go to upgrade it.  A weak foundation (see Windoze) makes for a weak 
addition to the house.

The vendors took the risk.  If they wanted to be in business for the long 
haul, they should have written good software to begin with.  In a former 
life, I had _GREAT_ software and failed because it ran on a non-IBM system 
that also didn't run UNIX when "OPEN" systems became the management buzzword. 
 I took the risk because I loved my work, had great partners (well, at least 
one of them), knew I had a superior product, and enjoyed providing value to 
my customers -- _NOT_ to make money (at least not to get _rich_ off of it, 
paying the rent was a different matter).  If they are selling a _PRODUCT_, 
vendors deserve to be rushed off into oblivion if that product isn't up to 
reasonable standards.

Using reasonable software development methodologies minimizes the risks and 
the costs while maximizing potential rewards, but does not guarantee success. 
 As my dad used to say, "life ain't fair, son."  The latter does, however, 
guarantee a good night's sleep...

JMHO,

Dean Asmussen
Enterprise Systems Consulting, Inc.
Fuquay-Varina, NC  USA
E-mail:  DAsmussen@aol.com

"I put instant coffee in the microwave and almost went back in time." -- 
Steven Wright
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