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RE: Speaking the SME's Language (was: Jumpstart a programming abi lity [-why?])
Subject:RE: Speaking the SME's Language (was: Jumpstart a programming abi lity [-why?]) From:david -dot- locke -at- amd -dot- com To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Sat, 7 Jul 2001 18:30:58 -0500
Connie's point is that we, TWs, have a technology that is ours and ours
alone. When did you ever see an SME write a good user manual? They don't
know how. When was that last time you had to teach a programmer how to make
a context call? A few months ago.
Last year when I was looking for a job in Austin and kept getting hit with
"I'm not technical enough" by arrogant twenty-something development VPs that
don't a product from code, I really got bothered by the notion that the only
technology is code. Technology is the application of thought. Code is only
one container for thought.
I worked for a vendor that hired programmers to do everything. It took about
two years, but they successfully went out of business. They didn't learn
their lesson. Products take more technology than that of code.
We translate the medium of code into the medium of print. Programmers
translate the medium of print into the medium of code. Its all the same
thing to me. The story is the requirements regardless of how the story gets
implemented be that in code, print, video, standup instruction, or a plastic
cup.
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