Dave Howorth <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote on 12/03/2007 05:44:06 AM: > >>> You have to remember that Siemens are responsible for ensuring the > >>> stability of the public facing infrastructure. > >>> This makes it important not to introduce new modules, or upgrade > >>> existing modules, without an extensive > >>> testing period to make sure it works with all existing > applications. The > >>> trouble with this is that it is easier to > >>> keep stable (or work around existing known problems) by not installing > >>> anything new. > >>> > >> Sure - but as I understand BBC is their client and this policy makes > >> the life of BBC programmers pretty miserable. > >> > > Yes, it does make for a pretty frustrating work environment > > sometimes and although Siemens should > > be working for the BBC it often feels like the other way around. > > > > Seems poorly thought out. > > There's one point that hasn't been stressed that I think is very > important. The problem isn't technical, it's commercial. > > The BBC have outsourced some work to Siemens. It's certainly the case > that to maintain stability Siemens would need to do testing but I > imagine the main factor from their point of view is that *it provides > extra revenue*. I don't know about this contract but on another I'm > aware of they like nothing better than having the client request a new > feature :) > > Without knowing the reasons why the BBC chose to outsource and the > contract details, it really isn't possible to say whether it's a > sensible arrangement. Sure it makes developers' lives more difficult, > but that's not the main goal to be optimized. > > Cheers, Dave
Last time I dealt with a Siemans "managed" system it was using a very old and outdated (never patched) SCO openserver install. Mind you this was 2001 and the openserver software version was from 1994 (unpatched, still had the -f root remote login hole). I hope they are being better to the BBC's bits. -Wade _______________________________________________ List: Catalyst@lists.scsys.co.uk Listinfo: http://lists.scsys.co.uk/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/catalyst Searchable archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ Dev site: http://dev.catalyst.perl.org/