on (completely new) software

Beside chirping away on these pages I focus on making software, run-your-business infrastructure software. Something that is so different from current software in general that it ended up being called "that, that...eh...thingamy".

Every now and then I reread Joel Spolsky's excellent article on "Good Software Takes Ten Years. Get Used To It."

It saves me from going nuts.

Some Mondays I'm sure that Thursday will be the day, then a mundane feature uncovers an earlier assumption to be, eh, stupid. And programmers does not wear wristwatches.

What Joel really says, and to which I've had to adjust day by day, month by month and year by year: Creating a new toaster, yet another CRM system, another car - is about taking a template, rethink, redesign, plan and execute. Then missing the Thursday would be bad planning and execution.

But creating the first light bulb in the light of gas lamps, or the car when the individual transport concept was horse and carriage - that took a bit longer. Technically tricky, conceptually even more knotty.

Time-planning when you do not know the path to the mountain, nor the height, only having a crazy idea that there is a mountain there, then time sheets are kind of moot.

Bring enough food and shelter, call the office and tell them you'll be back whenever, and live with it. Even if you risk looking stupid for some time.

We can see the top now, and amazing it is, from afar. And we still have plenty of food left.

p.s. Yep, we think of course it's on par with the first light bulb, but hey, we need the energy. You decide when we get back from the trip - fancy gas lamp or electric light... :-)

Comments

[Lee Bryant]

pls ping me when it becomes a reality ;-)

[sig]

I'll even buy you a beer on Tuesday at the geek dinner!

(a snippet of reality is there already, like the fog lifting off the summit... hehe, so we may take a 'peek at the peak' the day after if you're up for it :-)

[hugh macleod]

Wow. Sounds like you made some real progress... congrats!

Of course, someone reading your blog for the first time would have no earthly idea what you were talking about, but not everybody needs to know everything at this point.