Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!ut-emx!tivoli!alan
From: alan@tivoli.UUCP (Alan R. Weiss)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: Second System Effect
Message-ID: <434@tivoli.UUCP>
Date: 27 Feb 91 17:38:19 GMT
References: <30512@mimsy.umd.edu> <423@tivoli.UUCP> <1991Feb26.211223.4180@ico.isc.com> <8115@umd5.umd.edu>
Reply-To: alan@tivoli.UUCP (Alan R. Weiss)
Organization: Tivoli Systems Inc., Austin, TX
Lines: 30

In article <8115@umd5.umd.edu> dzoey@terminus.umd.edu (Joe Herman) writes:
>In article <1991Feb26.211223.4180@ico.isc.com> rcd@ico.isc.com (Dick Dunn) writes:
>>alan@tivoli.UUCP (Alan R. Weiss) writes:
>>>...
>>> In my experience the FIRST system is an enormous compendium of features
>>> and functions that, sadly, must be whittled down to meer epic/heroic
>>> proportions to meet the first release's aggressive schedule ...
>
>Another reason for the enormous compendium of features is that in a
>new first system, it's hard to know which features will be popular
>with people.  An example of this was not expecting heavy use of
>electronic mail when ARPAnet was first built.  This leads to an
>attempt to put in the kitchen sink, which is tough to do from scratch.
.....


Yea, but this is usually caused by developers (and more accurately
"Marketing") not *ASKING* their customers what they want.  In Tom Peters'
terms, "the damn customer doesn't do what (he's) supposed to."  Peters',
of course, was making the point that American business often fails to
*listen* to their customers, and get their feedback during the design stage.
Does this sound familiar?

_______________________________________________________________________
Alan R. Weiss                           TIVOLI Systems, Inc.
E-mail: alan@tivoli.com                 6034 West Courtyard Drive,
E-mail: alan@whitney.tivoli.com         Suite 210
Voice : (512) 794-9070                  Austin, Texas USA  78730
Fax   : (512) 794-0623     "I speak only for myself, not for TIVOLI"
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