haleh mahbod wrote:
Hi,
What are the categories of samples that we need to consider for Tuscany?
I see two potential categories.
1) Business samples - Focused on showing how Tuscany solves certain business
problems.
2) Technology samples - Focused on showing developers how to use
Tuscanyfeatures such as Transaction.
Does this look right?
I agree that we need both of these categories. Having the right samples
is a very important part of what it takes to get people on board (along
with good documentation).
The business samples should be aimed at people trying to understand
why they should use Tuscany rather than other approaches for solving
a given business problem. So ideally there would be some compelling
aspect of the Tuscany solution that makes it more attractive than
other alternatives.
However, there will be many situations where Tuscany isn't the "best"
solution. Often there will not be a single "best" solution. Different
solutions will have different positive and negative aspects. In these
cases it is important to show clearly how Tuscany solves the business
problem, and how it differs (or not) from other approaches. Then the
prospective user can make his or her choice based on a clear understanding
of what Tuscany does (and does not) bring to the table.
So I think our business scenarios should be chosen either because Tuscany
is a particularly appropriate solution, or because the scenario is very
common and everyone will want to know how Tuscany goes about solving that
class of problem. And the larger the intersection we have between these
categories, the more successful Tuscany will be.
If yes, what are some good samples that we can consider for each category?
What should our approach to Samples be? Start with one sample and expand it
to show additional functionality; or
create distinct samples?
I don't think we can get the range of coverage that we need (see above)
with a single sample. With a single "does everything" sample, the temptation
is to try to force-fit every scenario into it, which makes it too big and
complex. Then for any given business scenario, there will be some parts
of the sample that are relevant as well as others that aren't, but still
need to be understood.
With a range of business samples, each one should illustrate a few points
without bringing in too much overhead. Then people can focus on the
samples that are relevant to their needs, and they don't need to go deeply
into other samples that aren't relevant.
Simon
