> -----Original Message-----
> From: CodeMonk [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Sent: October 6, 2004 10:15 AM
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: [XP] Followup Toy My Original Post On Outsourcing
>
> I am always amazed at the large, diverse responses this
> humble, worthless programmer gets from his posts by such
> famous, professional and successful giants as Ron Jeffries,
> Kent Beck, CIOs, CFOs and others throughout this the world. I
> must thank you all again for taking the time out of your busy
> schedules to answer my posts.
Hey, you forgot me in that list! :)
> First, I must address a mistake. I said Outsourcing in my
> first post but really mean Offshoring or sending work to
> people who can do it for 10,000 times less. I just don't see
> how you can compete one way or another with this. Especially
> in a field where most clients don't understand or use
> whatever they are paying you to do in the first place.
I guess you haven't really researched XP specifically, or agile methods
in general. The idea is that attempting to specify a system up front in
the level of detail required for someone to go away and develop the
whole thing in on pass is ridiculous to begin with. Iterative,
incremental development combined with close customer contact provides
the feedback required to properly build the system the customer really
needs without features that they don't need.
> I must admit I don't care too much. I fell in love with
> computers and programming in 1984 with my First TI-99-4A and
> my beloved Commodore 64. Although I have always wanted to do
> what I love for money I never understood why any company
> would hire programmers full-time to begin with. Although I
> have been a business programmer for about 8 years now I still don't.
Apple ][, 1981. I _am_ what I wanted to be when I grew up.
> Most applications small to medium sized companies develop
> (which seems to be the companies I do work for) all seem to
> do the same boring things anyway. They cost huge amounts of
> money, rarely are more then toys to show off and never get
> completed satisfactory or not at all. Being on the Intranet
> side of things I see this even more then custom desktop
> applications for reasons I am not sure about.
See above, re:iterative, incremental development with close customer
contact.
> Now with Offshoring this stuff for pennies on the dollar I am
> shocked I currently have a gig and that recruiters still call
> at all. I just keep wondering if I am missing something here
> which lead to my original post.
Yes, you are. Agile development allows you to meet the actual customer
needs earlier and more often. Offshoring allows you to fail for less
money.
> It also got me thinking about my new interest of starting and
> running a business using my beloved hobby of computers and
> programming. It seems that all skills are cheap and workers
> always get the bad end of the stick. Anything can be
> outsourced, offshored and cheapened over time, leading to
> more retraining with the insignificant amount of money you
> made in the first place only to start at the bottom of the
> payscale again in tomorrows "hot job."
>
> Maybe all these programmers around the world need more
> computer books on programming? What about development tools?
> Agile methods???
For every book worth its weight in gold are 100 that aren't worth the
recycle bin they end up in.
> Maybe I can get rich (or at least make a living) writing
> books like Ron Jeffries on things that interest me rather
> then doing the same damn txtFirstName = Rs("FirstName") every
> day. Maybe I build my own development tool and market it
> throughout the world?
Now isn't the time to try to sell something new software-wise when you
can get practically anything for free as Open Source.
> Has anyone else ever thought along these lines?
>
> CodeMonk
Dave Rooney
Mayford Technologies
http://www.mayford.ca
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