RE: Software Vendors

[Colin Williams <Williamsc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

So your saying that vendors should take perfect software as _ABSOLUTELY
PARAMOUNT_, your words, even if they go broke doing it! 

>-----Original Message-----
>From: DAsmussen@aol.com [mailto:DAsmussen@aol.com]
>Sent: Thursday, December 02, 1999 5:36 AM
>To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
>Subject: 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
>+---
>| This is the Midrange System Mailing List!
>| To submit a new message, send your mail to MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com.
>| To subscribe to this list send email to MIDRANGE-L-SUB@midrange.com.
>| To unsubscribe from this list send email to 
>MIDRANGE-L-UNSUB@midrange.com.
>| Questions should be directed to the list owner/operator: 
>david@midrange.com
>+---
>
+---
| This is the Midrange System Mailing List!
| To submit a new message, send your mail to MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com.
| To subscribe to this list send email to MIDRANGE-L-SUB@midrange.com.
| To unsubscribe from this list send email to MIDRANGE-L-UNSUB@midrange.com.
| Questions should be directed to the list owner/operator: david@midrange.com
+---