[RBG7-L] - Re: Developer Updates

[Jay Ward]

Joel, I think you have gotten a great number of good ideas from many on "the" list.  As a user more than a developer I would like to add a couple of points.  Thirty years ago I was running some school programs for both colleges and high schools and know what I hit.   1.  Education of the user is an absolute.  Don't let ask for something without making them think it through.  What works in one school will work for many, if not most, others and if a school is made to think through what they're asking for you may be able to change minds or make a consensus driven change.  Act as the "provocateur" in the change process.   2.  The idea of using tables is, I believe, the only way to go.  To develop those tables though you will surely need some school driven consensus groups.   3.  Take the updates out of the hands of the schools if at all possible.  Since schools can't even agree on a consistent grading structure they'll never do the updates if left on their own.  If the updates are driven by you make certain what the backup procedures are so no one is left in the lurch.    4.  Hardware issues may cause some difficulties if there aren't minimums set up.  Make certain the programs check to see if those minimums are there.   5.  Make certain that one request doesn't leave another school out in left field.  I know that sounds basic but I've seen it happen too frequently.   6. Create a manual for them that can be updated through a remote process.  Razzak certainly gave us a great list of PDF support the other day.   Sounds like an interesting and challenging product.  Good luck. ----- Original Message ----- From: Joel Solomon To: RBG7-L Mailing List Sent: Friday, July 23, 2004 11:22 AM Subject: [RBG7-L] - Developer Updates I have a question for the developers out there.  First, a little history.   I am developing an application for our schools nationwide.  Although the base application is the same for all the schools, some of the schools require customization due to geographic locations or operational issues.    Therefore, what is the best way to manage these changes?  It would be quite a task to maintain a separate application for each school.  What about general updates to everyone's application?  What is the best way to approach these updates?   Thanks in advance for any feedback   Joel Solomon Controller Barbizon International [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.725 / Virus Database: 480 - Release Date: 7/19/2004