Jan-Piet Mens

Comments (9) left to “Quote of the Day”

1. Chris Linfoot wrote on 31-May-07 at 12:51 pm

   You like that quote? I preferred the one about the pig

2. Ian Clarke wrote on 01-Jun-07 at 1:58 pm

   "The days when you and I, IT Professionals, could dictate the technology used in business purely on its technical merit, including fitness for purpose never existed".
   It has always been the case that there are a finite number of IT systems available at any given point in time. These systems compete for position over time based upon factors such as technical merit, fitness for purpose and marketing budget. For small companies, functionality and speed of implementation are important, the choice of which new system to buy for larger organisations has always had to consider a range of other, equally important issues such as risk. This is why large companies continue to upgrade and invest in legacy systems which are arguably no longer fit for purpose and have very little technical merit. They do, however, continue to run the company and pose a very low risk.

3. Jan-Piet Mens wrote on 01-Jun-07 at 2:31 pm

   @Ian, in the original context, the quote was comparing Lotus Notes/Domino with Microsoft Outlook/Exchange.

   To my mind, "invest in legacy systems" doesn't quite apply to the newest wiz bang MS software, and "pose a very low risk" doesn't apply either.

4. Ian Clarke wrote on 02-Jun-07 at 2:10 pm

   Dear Jan-Piet,
   In that context, you are correct. I would regard those products as more of a commodity and so the "legacy" and "low risk" comments do not apply. I was extending the argument to wider enterprise based so called solutions where those gactors become more important.

   I would go further and support your original arguement. Whilst, on the face of it, microsoft products do a good job for the individual user, commercial realities have constrained their development. We appear to have come a long way in a relatively short space of time but shouldn't we in fact be a lot further on by now?

5. Jan-Piet Mens wrote on 02-Jun-07 at 4:12 pm

   We should be a lot further.

6. Ian Clarke wrote on 05-Jun-07 at 9:26 pm

   Yes we should, and to mis quote a famous bard this week:
   "it was forty years ago today"
   Was it really? So what exactly have you all been doing all this time?
   Why arn't I going to my corner shop and picking a six pack of computers? Why exactly is it that, in my house, my computer, my alarm system, my oven, my television, my fridge, my just about anything else electrical are ALL DIFFERENT THINGS !
   Why arn't they the same thing? Why can't I just talk to them and have them understand what it is that I want?

   Much further on? Yes, agreed.

7. Jan-Piet Mens / Backend? Thats Not a Backend! wrote on 08-Jun-07 at 12:11 pm

   [...] Talk about technological merit… [...]

8. Chris Linfoot wrote on 12-Jun-07 at 6:49 pm

   Hello Ian. You didn't comment at the original source of the quote (that would be me).

   You have a short memory. IT people used to rule the roost where technology investment was concerned. We haven't done so for a long time, but the risk in letting the users have too much say in system selection is the Microsoft monopoly we see everywhere today.

9. Ian Clarke wrote on 22-Jun-07 at 11:56 am

   Hi Chris,
   I remember the days when IT people ruled the roost.
   Query? – I seem to recall from our meetings that you still do?
   Anyway….... I agree with your last comment. There is a huge danger in lettings users have too much say. My experience is that they want a brand new system that is
   a) mainly the same as the one they have now
   b) going to work with almost no effort

   It is the IT professional who has the vision to see past the glossy brochure and give the people and the organisation the system that it needs.

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