Re: Software Devt; Developer Talent
Hello Paul,
It may be somewhat unfair to single out Microsoft from the multiple release standpoint. Historically very few software packages from any shop have achieved their full potential inside of three or four releases. However I observe that often, Microsoft's first release will be utter crap, very buggy, major usability problems ... completely useless to anybody. The package only becomes useful after imitating and stealing features from other, similar apps by other vendors.
To wit:
Microsoft Windows -- complete crap for two releases
Microsoft Windows NT -- in release 4 (3.1, 3.5, 3.51, and now 4.0), still not up to par in some respects with UNIX or Novell
Microsoft Money
Microsoft Excel -- which became marginally useful in release 2, and finally achieved maturity in release 3, after imitating features from Quattro)
Microsoft Netmeeting -- still feature-struggling, and highly performance challenged in release 2
Microsoft Chat -- in release 2, which is still useless
Microsoft Powerpoint -- complete crap for several releases
Microsoft Project -- a piece of software that screwed up Microsoft for many years by imposing a counter-productive scheduling scheme
Hmm, it looks like just about everything they've ever produced was unusuable crap in the first couple of releases. However, as you say they keep trying and stealing until the thing becomes a decent piece of software.
With respect to the relative productivity of the spectrum of developer talent -- one genius can accomplish things that any number of average coders could not. I would like to hear what people think is the best way to attract genius coders. Having been a full time C++ programmer myself in the past, and also having been on the hiring side, I can tell you that typical corporate practices fail miserably at screening between geniuses, competent people, and morons. Many times developers will be hired without anyone ever actually looking at their code! Would you hire an architect without first admiring buildings he/she has designed?
PX |
