"J. Lee" <
XXXX@XXXXX.COM>writes
Quote
Here's what you do:
Have a developer improve the existing app by making the UI a little
slicker, adding features, and optimizing the app a little too. Then go to
the PHB in a few months and say "we're done converting it to .NET, how
does it look?" Then, when he says it looks great and it was such a great
idea (his idea) to re-write in .NET spring it on him that it wasn't
re-written in .NET.
If he argues, tell him that he said, "I don't know, I will let you guys
decide." Well, you decided not to rewrite in .NET.
I kinda-sorta did that on my last project (managing the data at
www.midwayusa.com/guntecdictionary.exe/). One of the items promised
to the stakeholders was we (I) were going to develop part of the project in
.Net (funny side story about the manager asking what is .Net and why do we
need it). After looking at their spec sheet, I couldn't see anything that
would require .Net.
During testing, a PHB remarked:
PHB:"Wow, this is really fast. .Net is definiently the way to go"
Me:"The test harness is a standard Win32 application written in Delphi. The
underlying frames will plug into the existing data management application."
PHB:"Oh. I thought you were going to write it in .Net?"
Me:"That is what you said. There was nothing in the specification that
would require the .Net runtime. Part of the spec was it had to plug into
our existing data management application"
PHB:"Couldn't you simply put a button there and launch a web browser?"
Me:"A button? A browser? Are you talking about an ASP.Net application?"
PHB:"Yes, I thought you were developing this as an ASP.Net application"
Me:"Uh, you've been testing this application for about a week, you couldn't
tell it wasn't a web application?"
<a few awkward seconds with him staring at me>
PHB:"Well, I guess what I saying is I thought the backend, where the data
comes from, was going to be in .Net"
Me:"You mean web services? No, why would I do that?"
PHB:"Because we talked about doing this project in .Net."
Me:"I didn't see anywhere in the project .Net would benefit, so I didn't use
it. The whole 'right tool for the job' sort of thing"
PHB:"When we need to add the new features of the dictionary to the web site,
maybe we can use .Net"
<wanting to beat my head on the table>
Me:"Sure"