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From: ejp@icd.ab.com (Ed Prochak)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: more on estimation
Keywords: prototype, hardware analogy
Message-ID: <1566@abvax.UUCP>
Date: 25 Jul 90 16:41:54 GMT
References: <812@agcsun.UUCP> <641@dg.dg.com> <831@telesoft.com> <31989@cup.portal.com> <114473@linus.mitre.org>
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Reply-To: ejp@icd.ab.com (Ed Prochak)
Organization: Allen-Bradley Company, Industrial Computer Division
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In article <114473@linus.mitre.org>, usenet@linus.mitre.org (Usenet
News) writes:
 [some deleted stuff]
> From: davis@mwunix.mitre.org (David Davis)
> Path: mwunix.mitre.org!davis
> 
> Two goals that are similar in both hardware and software prototyping are to 
> test our ideas and to market a product to our own management or an outside 
> customer.  There is an implication in doing software prototyping that 
> one of the  reasons for doing a prototype is that we dont really believe 
> that if we use a full-fleged life-cycle approach that we can achieve 
> success.  That is, implementing a cohesive design that has acceptable 
> perfomrance and is delivered in a timely way.

That's exactly right. Often we don't have all the information
needed to do that cohesive design. Things missing include:
unstated or changing customer requirements,
unknown performance of software in a particular hardware environment,
unknown costs in the tradeoffs between mantainability and performance,
and I am sure there are others.

The point is: hardware types do prototypes, why should
              we be forced to deliver final product without
              doing prototypes?

and doing prototypes does not mean abandoning an orderly
development process, including timely delivery.
> 
> 
> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
> Dave Davis                  davis@mwunix.mitre.org
> MITRE Corporation           me := disclaimer.all
> 7525 Colshire Dr.

Edward J. Prochak   Voice: work-(216)646-4663  home-(216)349-1821
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