September 28, 2010 at 8:00 am
Jeff Moden (9/28/2010)
It's disappointing, for sure but... you still got paid and they didn't blame you so probably not such a bad gig, eh?
Jeff, you trying to speak Canadianese, eh? 😛
Glad to see you're trying to improve yourself. 😀
For best practices on asking questions, please read the following article: Forum Etiquette: How to post data/code on a forum to get the best help[/url]
September 28, 2010 at 8:00 am
Jeff Moden (9/28/2010)
Stefan Krzywicki (9/28/2010)
GilaMonster (9/28/2010)
Stefan Krzywicki (9/27/2010)
GilaMonster (9/27/2010)
Tom.Thomson (9/27/2010)
Sturgeon got it wrong. He should have said 95%. At least of the developers I have interviewed I regard 95% as unemployable in any sanely managed company (of course 95% of companies are not sanely managed, so there's little chance of these guys becoming unemployed). Actually, 95% may still be an understatement. 😉Regarding the 95% of companies, absolutely. Some of the places I've done work at I wonder how and why they're still in business and, seeing as those are companies that are willing to call in a relatively expensive consultant, they can't be anywhere close to the worst around.
I think the worst are the ones that call in that consultant and then don't listen.
I've had those as well. Typically they don't remain a client for long.
I had a contract that lasted almost a year. I completely redesigned their terrible database "system", bringing 500 tables down to around 50, and then they told me they were just going to leave things as they were.
It's disappointing, for sure but... you still got paid and they didn't blame you so probably not such a bad gig, eh?
Oh, it was a bad gig, this was just the culmination. That's not what I meant though, not that it was bad for me, but that they're the kind of company that I wonder how they're still in business. There were a lot of problems there. They're in an industry with sensitive data that needs to be accurate and yet when I told them a report I made for them was 90% accurate at best because it was coming from 2 databases and no-one would check the information to determine what was correct, I was told "close enough".
--------------------------------------
When you encounter a problem, if the solution isn't readily evident go back to the start and check your assumptions.
--------------------------------------
It’s unpleasantly like being drunk.
What’s so unpleasant about being drunk?
You ask a glass of water. -- Douglas Adams
September 28, 2010 at 8:08 am
Jeff Moden (9/28/2010)
Stefan Krzywicki (9/28/2010)
GilaMonster (9/28/2010)
Stefan Krzywicki (9/27/2010)
GilaMonster (9/27/2010)
Tom.Thomson (9/27/2010)
Sturgeon got it wrong. He should have said 95%. At least of the developers I have interviewed I regard 95% as unemployable in any sanely managed company (of course 95% of companies are not sanely managed, so there's little chance of these guys becoming unemployed). Actually, 95% may still be an understatement. 😉Regarding the 95% of companies, absolutely. Some of the places I've done work at I wonder how and why they're still in business and, seeing as those are companies that are willing to call in a relatively expensive consultant, they can't be anywhere close to the worst around.
I think the worst are the ones that call in that consultant and then don't listen.
I've had those as well. Typically they don't remain a client for long.
I had a contract that lasted almost a year. I completely redesigned their terrible database "system", bringing 500 tables down to around 50, and then they told me they were just going to leave things as they were.
It's disappointing, for sure but... you still got paid and they didn't blame you so probably not such a bad gig, eh?
My previous company did a huge project with several project managers, BA's and a large team of application and database developers to completely replace their financial software product (that still sells really well, but the front end is written in COBOL/C++ and is shoe-horned into an (un)relational SQL database) with a new ASP .Net web based product with good database architecture.
After a years elapsed time and 40-odd man years of effort they canned the project as the business priorities/market changed enough for them to deem it unprofitable. The irritating thing was it was about 3 weeks away from the QA stage so from our perspective it was virtually a finished product.
I hate to think how much code sits there that someone has poured their time/effort into but never gets used.
September 28, 2010 at 8:20 am
HowardW (9/28/2010)
... The irritating thing was it was about 3 weeks away from the QA stage so from our perspective it was virtually a finished product.I hate to think how much code sits there that someone has poured their time/effort into but never gets used.
Had they let the project reach the QA stage then it would much easier to revive the project later. Oh well.
For best practices on asking questions, please read the following article: Forum Etiquette: How to post data/code on a forum to get the best help[/url]
September 28, 2010 at 8:20 am
HowardW (9/28/2010)
Jeff Moden (9/28/2010)
Stefan Krzywicki (9/28/2010)
GilaMonster (9/28/2010)
Stefan Krzywicki (9/27/2010)
GilaMonster (9/27/2010)
Tom.Thomson (9/27/2010)
Sturgeon got it wrong. He should have said 95%. At least of the developers I have interviewed I regard 95% as unemployable in any sanely managed company (of course 95% of companies are not sanely managed, so there's little chance of these guys becoming unemployed). Actually, 95% may still be an understatement. 😉Regarding the 95% of companies, absolutely. Some of the places I've done work at I wonder how and why they're still in business and, seeing as those are companies that are willing to call in a relatively expensive consultant, they can't be anywhere close to the worst around.
I think the worst are the ones that call in that consultant and then don't listen.
I've had those as well. Typically they don't remain a client for long.
I had a contract that lasted almost a year. I completely redesigned their terrible database "system", bringing 500 tables down to around 50, and then they told me they were just going to leave things as they were.
It's disappointing, for sure but... you still got paid and they didn't blame you so probably not such a bad gig, eh?
My previous company did a huge project with several project managers, BA's and a large team of application and database developers to completely replace their financial software product (that still sells really well, but the front end is written in COBOL/C++ and is shoe-horned into an (un)relational SQL database) with a new ASP .Net web based product with good database architecture.
After a years elapsed time and 40-odd man years of effort they canned the project as the business priorities/market changed enough for them to deem it unprofitable. The irritating thing was it was about 3 weeks away from the QA stage so from our perspective it was virtually a finished product.
I hate to think how much code sits there that someone has poured their time/effort into but never gets used.
Isn't there a stat about how 70% of all software projects are never finished?
--------------------------------------
When you encounter a problem, if the solution isn't readily evident go back to the start and check your assumptions.
--------------------------------------
It’s unpleasantly like being drunk.
What’s so unpleasant about being drunk?
You ask a glass of water. -- Douglas Adams
September 28, 2010 at 8:25 am
Stefan Krzywicki (9/28/2010)
Isn't there a stat about how 70% of all software projects are never finished?
And a stat about how 78.256% of all software statistics are made up. @=)
September 28, 2010 at 8:27 am
Stefan Krzywicki (9/28/2010)
Isn't there a stat about how 70% of all software projects are never finished?
I seem to remember something similar.
Ironically, when typing "70% development not used" into Google, the top result is the Wikipedia article on "Mental Retardation".
I've also developed software that's been so high priority I need to drop everything and work on it, got hassled for delivery dates time after time, then when it went live was never actually used.
September 28, 2010 at 8:32 am
Alvin Ramard (9/28/2010)
HowardW (9/28/2010)
... The irritating thing was it was about 3 weeks away from the QA stage so from our perspective it was virtually a finished product.I hate to think how much code sits there that someone has poured their time/effort into but never gets used.
Had they let the project reach the QA stage then it would much easier to revive the project later. Oh well.
Indeed. From their perspective, if they canned it immediately, they could make 25 contractors immediately redundant and stop bleeding more money on a project they didn't want any more. I was permanent, so stayed on for a few more months working on minor bug fixes on other products then quit - from what I hear from the people still there, they just focus on hanging onto maintenance revenue by doing minor bug fixing and don't develop anything new.
September 28, 2010 at 8:33 am
Brandie Tarvin (9/28/2010)
Stefan Krzywicki (9/28/2010)
Isn't there a stat about how 70% of all software projects are never finished?And a stat about how 78.256% of all software statistics are made up. @=)
Yes, yes : -)
After a little googling, it looks like I'm probably remembering the Standish Report that says around 16% of projects are finished on-time and on-budget.. It looks like that's now disputed and it is much older than I thought it was. I thought I'd seen it in an industry journal, but they might have been referencing that I remember it broke projects down to cancelled, late, over budget, over budget and late and on-time/on-budget. Either way, my reference is clearly quite dated.
--------------------------------------
When you encounter a problem, if the solution isn't readily evident go back to the start and check your assumptions.
--------------------------------------
It’s unpleasantly like being drunk.
What’s so unpleasant about being drunk?
You ask a glass of water. -- Douglas Adams
September 28, 2010 at 9:00 am
I am not sure I've had many projects at all in my lifetime that were on budget/on time unless they were trivial (< 1 week). It seems anything over that typically goes long.
So does that mean we suck as an industry in
a) writing code
b) estimating
c) both
September 28, 2010 at 9:06 am
Steve Jones - Editor (9/28/2010)
I am not sure I've had many projects at all in my lifetime that were on budget/on time unless they were trivial (< 1 week). It seems anything over that typically goes long.So does that mean we suck as an industry in
a) writing code
b) estimating
c) both
probably both, but we definitely suck at estimating, especially when the scope keeps changing.
Edit: typing not in sync with thinking.
For best practices on asking questions, please read the following article: Forum Etiquette: How to post data/code on a forum to get the best help[/url]
September 28, 2010 at 9:17 am
I think everyone from Developers/BA's/Project Managers up to senior management dramatically underestimate the complexity of software development.
I often finding myself thinking that something will be easy and take a few hours of work, only to get more and more into the detail and it balloon into a huge complex task.
I guess it's why the Agile/Scrum model is so effective as it focuses on small tasks and short timelines rather than all encompassing projects
September 28, 2010 at 9:24 am
Gianluca Sartori (9/28/2010)
CirquedeSQLeil (9/27/2010)
Anybody here have much experience with FirebirdSQL?Well, I wouldn't say "much experience", but I've had to deal with it in the past.
Is there anything particular you're looking for? Probably I don't know the answer, but asking won't hurt. 😉
I think we have it straightened out - Lutz provided a good answer
Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
_______________________________________________
I have given a name to my pain...MCM SQL Server, MVP
SQL RNNR
Posting Performance Based Questions - Gail Shaw[/url]
Learn Extended Events
September 28, 2010 at 9:32 am
CirquedeSQLeil (9/28/2010)
Gianluca Sartori (9/28/2010)
CirquedeSQLeil (9/27/2010)
Anybody here have much experience with FirebirdSQL?Well, I wouldn't say "much experience", but I've had to deal with it in the past.
Is there anything particular you're looking for? Probably I don't know the answer, but asking won't hurt. 😉
I think we have it straightened out - Lutz provided a good answer
Glad you managed. What's the thread out of curiosity?
-- Gianluca Sartori
September 28, 2010 at 9:33 am
Alvin Ramard (9/28/2010)
Jeff Moden (9/28/2010)
It's disappointing, for sure but... you still got paid and they didn't blame you so probably not such a bad gig, eh?Jeff, you trying to speak Canadianese, eh? 😛
Glad to see you're trying to improve yourself. 😀
Speaking of Canada - shouldn't the country be pronounced Canad - eh?
I think it probably was pronounced that way at some point, but it was too hard to sing in the national anthem so they simplified a bit - eh?
Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
_______________________________________________
I have given a name to my pain...MCM SQL Server, MVP
SQL RNNR
Posting Performance Based Questions - Gail Shaw[/url]
Learn Extended Events
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