Defending the Python lanuage...

[Rony]

Cliff Wells <logiplexsoftware at earthlink.net> wrote in message news:<mailman.1012498757.26825.python-list at python.org>...
...
> Seriously though, I do think that management-related questions are
> appropriate (as they relate to Python) and if you think about it, those
> questions aren't just management questions.  Any developer should ask
> himself these questions when considering new tools.  Actually, I have seen
> these same questions asked before albeit in a somewhat different way.
> 
> I will say that it is refreshing to see a manager active on a technical
> forum. 
 
Thank you, i was allready thinking i was intruding some kind of secret
grail only accessible for developers here <wink>

As you are probably well aware (and the last couple of posts on
> this thread should make it obvious) there is a rift between management and
> developers - developers tend to think that management is clueless and
> management tends to think that developers just want to play with new toys. 
> While there is a grain of truth there (managers tend to be less aware of
> the technical details and developers do like to try new stuff), neither
> view is true enough to ever take seriously (although when you find yourself
> in the situations where it is true it can jade you for life :P )  
>
This is exactly true, at least in my opnion, sometime i have
developers that wants to use some tools <just for the fun of it> or,
like in other messages stated here, while they think it will look good
on their CV...
On the other hand i have a naturly ***bad*** reaction on 'changing'
proposals :)
 
> However, your last statement that managers make _all_ the decisions was an
> unfortunate one.  It's better if the technicians make the decisions and
> then managers _approve_ them.  This may be splitting hairs, but when it
> comes to deciding on things like what language to develop in, who is going
> to be better informed: the people /using/ that language or someone who is
> more focused on the overall picture?  Tool choices are a detail and best
> left to those using the tools.  Managers should focus on personnel
> coordination, feature specifications, overall design, etc - the big
> picture.  It's when they start trying to specify which
> editor/debugger/compiler will be used that friction occurs.  

I'm sorry but i definitifly don't agree with that, and here i'm
speaking trough personnal experience !
Somewhere beginning 90'ths my development team came to me saying it is
time to abandon language X, that we were using, because now you have
languge Y who has all the possible benefits; better librarys, faster
development, blablabla...
And i trusted my chief development engineer and said yes.
To make a long story very short, the end of it was that the new
language din't have all the necessary function we needed, they never
found a solution (even not hired outside experts on that language) and
we trowed away one man year of development. And that is reality...
I know all the arguments, like your chief engineer didn't do his job
and how comes that it took a year and .... but since i'm the owner of
the company the problem  was mine at the end. So i'm convinced that
managment has to be involved in such decissions.


Granted, if
> you have a team and one person wants to do things differently than everyone
> else, management needs to step in, but if there is a general consensus
> amongst your developers, then you need to listen, or be prepared to look
> for new developers when your existing ones start looking elsewhere for
> employment.  If you won't use the technology they prefer, they'll find
> someone who will.
> 
> Speaking-from-personal-experience-ly yours,
> 
> -- 
> Cliff Wells
> Software Engineer
> Logiplex Corporation (www.logiplex.net)
> (503) 978-6726 x308
> (800) 735-0555 x308
> 
> "Then with your new power you'll accomplish all sorts of cool stuff 
>  in no time, and We'll All Be Sorry.  At that point you can either 
>  gloat a bit, and then relent, or go ahead and send the robot army 
>  after us." - Quinn Dunkan