Search390.com Developer Tip July 11, 2001 ======================================================== SPONSORED BY: Postmaster Direct ======================================================== What do you like? Networks? Computer Games? Downloads? How about Free Stuff? Search390.com can get you FREE info on the topics that interest you most - and there are so many to choose from! We'll find related news, information and special offers and deliver them directly to your e-mailbox, all at no charge! Sign up here today http://search390.techtarget.com/postmasterDirect/ ======================================================== ========================================================= CALLING ALL DINOS! ========================================================= July's tip of the month contest has started! This month's prize is an awesome King T-Rex radio control dinotronic dinosaur chosen with all of you dinos in mind! To submit a tip, or to check out this month's prize and contest rules, click here: http://search390.techtarget.com/tipsPrize/0,289492,sid10_prz750651_cts750650,00.thml ========================================================= TODAY'S DEVELOPER TIP: Flapjaws methodology of commercial software development Jim Keohane ---with apologies to Montauk Fishing Fleet Decades ago, as a local bartender, I was a frequent guest aboard fishing boats in Montauk, NY. Sometimes the larger boats would steam for a day to reach the better fishing grounds. Deep water. Kind of rough. Aches were common among passengers from falling into railings or walls or benches when trying to traverse the heaving deck. Except moi. Others would stare in amazement as my Shrek-like bulk (two meters tall weighing 40 stones) flitted thither and yon. I would actually "skip" up and down the deck whilst others slowly made their way holding on to any support. I had been initiated into the arcane lore of "sea legs" by the renowned Captain Joey Flapjaws himself. His chief rule: "Never have both feet on the ground!" Let your ankle pivot freely. Keep legs loose and not locked. Once you have both feet on the deck you try to balance and that is too much for either brain or instinct to accomplish. The same rule applies to commercial software development. You have to be ready to pivot at any time. You often don't have time to establish a base camp and instead must push on to the objective. You can't take a slow, safe approach. Be prepared to make mistakes but then recover quickly. The term "time to market" isn't just a buzzword. Better mouse traps that arrive too late are known as also-rans. This is not a call for shoddy software. Just being realistic. You can't just walk down the hall for another talk with the end-user as is the case with in-house development. You have to gauge the future needs and desires of the market. You are trying to hit a moving target! Your sales force reports back that your product's PDA access to CICS isn't quite the grabber you thought it would be. Customers will write checks once your product works with heads up display goggles and voice response microphone-in-ear. A slight rewrite? All your competitors just announced they agreed to support new seXML standard for web porn site access after you had outsourced development to Reverend Falwell's Liberty Baptist College. Staffing reassignments? You must be ready to counter your competition's moves by matching functionality or at least fudging the difference. By that, I mean that if they have an edge over you in some area then blur their advantage by offering some of the functionality now. Promise additional functionality later or, better yet, leap frog their approach in your next release. Watch out for the lure of bells and whistles where your developers have free rein to add in all the neat goodies they *think* will make the product more attractive. Marketing is every bit as much of a scientific discipline as software engineering will ever be. Get the best marketing talent and heed their advice. Avoid the "Not Invented Here" syndrome where you disdain the currently available facilities or standards preferring instead to roll your own. You should build on what's already available unless you can definitely do better and the extra time & effort is truly worth it. You should differentiate your product from the competition only where there is a clear advantage in the approach you would take. Avoid taking a proprietary approach unless there is a clear performance or functionality advantage. Last and not least, go back and read my earlier Search390.com tip "Spaghetti Code al dente" that also applies. ------------------------------------------------------ About the author: Jim Keohane ([EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>) is president of New York consulting company Multi-Platforms, Inc. His company specializes in commercial software development/consulting with emphasis on cross-platform and performance issues. Did you like this tip? Send us an email <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> to let us know your thoughts, or rate this tip by scrolling to the bottom of http://www.search390.com/tip/1,289483,sid10_gci754068,00.html. ========================== CALLING ALL DEVELOPERS! ========================== What did you think about this tip? When it comes to commercial software development, do you agree or disagree with Jim when he says "Never have both feet on the ground!" Let us know. Post your thoughts in our Developer Discussion Forum right now: http://search390.discussions.techtarget.com/WebX?50@@.ee83ff7. We're always interested in knowing what you're thinking! ==================================== Related Book ==================================== XML: A Primer, 3rd Edition http://www.digitalguru.com/dgstore/product.asp?sku=0764547771&dept%5Fid=278&ac%5Fid=54&accountnumber=&couponnumber= Author: Simon St. Laurent Publisher: M & T Books ISBN/CODE: 0764547771 Cover Type: Soft Cover Pages: 560 Published: May 2001 Summary: St.Laurent's popular primer offers Web developers a quick start to understanding and implementing XML. This third edition of XML: A Primer, 3rd Edition includes new developments in XML technology regarding XLink, XPointer, XPath and XSLT. This guide for Web developers explains the differences and similarities between SGML, HTML, and XML, and provides you with a solid understanding of how to create custom tags and Document Type Definitions (DTDs). You'll also find discussion on the impact of XML Schemas and RELAX. ======================================================== Disclaimer: Our tips exchange is a forum for you to share technical advice and expertise with your peers and to learn from other IT professionals. Techtarget.com provides the infrastructure to facilitate this sharing of information. However, we can't guarantee the accuracy and validity of the material submitted. 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