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Subject:RE: OT: Go (Was Respect) From:david -dot- locke -at- amd -dot- com To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 21 May 2001 16:12:59 -0500
I see it as an age issue. I don't know programmers my age that play Quake.
There is a rather large divide out there today between the traditional
software engineering crowd and the contemporary practices crowd. There is
little respect between the members of these subcultures. I've seen more
young programmers think that old programmers can't cut it. And, when the old
programmers come back emphasizing their project management skills, they
unwittingly validated the young programmers poor thinking.
If you're not young, you will hear the "I don't think you are technical
enough" objection here in Austin. It's a perception rather than a fact.
There is no way to overcome that objection, because you are on the other
side of the culture line like it or not. What technology are we talking
about here? Why is it that I'm suddenly unable to think and learn?
There is a book out there, "Modern Software Practices," (Title might be
wrong) that addresses this divide. And, "COCOMO II" is another resource that
shows how estimation models have changed in the face of the new practices.
The detractors of eXtreme programming also cheer from the other side of the
line. An informal teacher of eXtreme programming I overheard at the
bookstore cafe talked about writing user stories first. Are these stories a
better organizational tool than UML-based use cases? It depends on what side
of the line you are on.
When we talk about trying to get documentation out the door with code, be
warned, these new practitioners do not believe in independent QA. If you've
ever used that as a cushion, it is going away. The traditional practices
will hang on at institutionalized public companies, but don't look for them
at most startups these days.
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