On 8/7/04 12:19 PM, "Dan Shafer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Chipp......... > > You knew I'd have to chime in here. :-) > > Not simply to be contrarian, but I do not believe RR has any serious > chance of making real inroads into other platforms. Dan, you make a very compelling argument about the use of non-Bandwagon Effect tools making inroads to other platforms. But before I agree with you, I'd like to clarify some things that I've seen from my experience as well. First of all, the main places I've seen where there are problems adopting non-mainstream tools is in the *corporate* workplace - i.e. big companies. Most big companies only feel comfortable using other big companies' tools, primarily because they feel that the longevity of the company is not in question, and that "if thousands of other developers are using the product, why shouldn't we" (the Bandwagon Effect). Also, keep in mind that most corporate settings only hire people into their engineering space that have specific C/C++/Java/etc. backgrounds and so they are by nature already biased towards specific tools. And the person (or persons) who directs them would take an incredible risk to go with an unknown (or little known) development environment for anything that is mission critical. In the companies I worked for, tools like Rev were more used for internal apps or prototyping situations when they were used at all. So accordingly, it is in the *corporate* space that I see Rev (or other tools for that matter) having little chance of making inroads. However, I would disagree with you when it comes to the small-to-medium-sized businesses out there. Most of them just want to "get the job done", as quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively as possible. Not that they are willing to go with an unknown because of the promise of efficiency - they too care about longevity and support of the development environment, but in those situations it is likely they don't have programmers on staff and are having to contract out development. It is also likely that it is someone near the top of the food chain at said company (a manager or even the owner of the company if the company's small enough) that will be dealing directly with the contract programmer(s) involved. They also have little or no experience in what tools are out there, or what tools are on the "bandwagon". So they are much more open. *Here* is where Rev (and other tools of its ilk) *can* make inroads. All that it takes is enough compelling evidence that RunRev isn't going anywhere, that the underlying engine has been around for a decade, and that it is the most efficient way to develop the application/product they want, and it's a much higher chance that said company will allow for a tool like Rev to be used. This space is where I (and I'm sure others on this list) get most of the contract work. Although I'm now a contractor, I used to be the Director of Systems Development at a corporation with a dozen+ programmers under my direction. At *that* time, it was nearly impossible to get MetaCard in the door (although we had *some* success at it). Now, the people I deal with mostly are small-to-medium-sized businesses that just want the job done. And I've used MetaCard/Rev in over 70% of the jobs I've done over the last several years. And this discussion is primarily focused on Windows. I'm not sure if the same sentiment (either Dan's or mine) relates to the Linux/Unix marketplace (such as it is), since my experience there is very limited. So to say "I do not believe RR has any serious chance of making real inroads into other platforms" is a statement I both agree and disagree with. :-) Ken Ray Sons of Thunder Software Web site: http://www.sonsothunder.com/ Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ use-revolution mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.runrev.com/mailman/listinfo/use-revolution
