Michael Pavling wrote: > On 13 August 2010 17:21, Marnen Laibow-Koser <[email protected]> > wrote: >>> If a client asks to produce the functionality to export data into the >>> office-application format of their choice, then it's not irresponsible >>> to do exactly that. >> >> Yes it is. �If a client asks me that, then it is my responsibility as an >> ethical, responsible developer to tell them that IMHO they are making a >> suboptimal choice, and to explore other alternatives with them. > > For instance: They want a application (web-technology-based or > otherwise) to manage their foos and bars - it's going to be internal > only. They use MS Office desktop applications. They want their > application to export mailshots as Word documents so they can edit > them before printing. > > There is no alternative to explore. > > Certainly, if you think they are making bad choices, then it's right > to tell them. But the final decision is theirs (and I'd recommend > their decision should be to let me decide ;-)
Yes, the final decision is theirs. I'm perfectly happy to forgo a job that would mean putting myself in an untenable position. > >> The client gets to dictate business needs, not technical implementation. > > But they're paying, so if they have a technical implementation > requirement, which they stick to despite my advice to go with another > choice, then I would judge it to be unethical to not do what they > want. If my objection is big enough, then I can quit the job. [1] > > > [1] I'm currently working on some PHP development, which is running on > IIS and MSSQL, because some middle-manager bought an expensive server, > which has to be seen to "work". It's frustrating, but that's the > situation. I work with it, or I don't. They *won't* install *nix and > MySQL, etc. > I really don't like it, but my mortgage has to be paid. So the client is making you support the server but won't take your advice on how to configure it? Very simply put, I wouldn't take a job like that for any amount of money. It's a setup for failure. (My current Rails job is for a big company using MS SQL -- but doing it right. The Rails app itself is on a *nix box with Passenger, and we developers all have test and development instances of the DB on the MS SQL server, as well as Windows VMs that we can use if we'd rather run our DBs locally.) Best, -- Marnen Laibow-Koser http://www.marnen.org [email protected] -- Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Ruby on Rails: Talk" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-talk?hl=en.
