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But look at what he said - you need to show measureable benefit. "We need to use this modern practice because everyone in the 90's was a buffoon" doesn't hold water. Just sounds like someone wanting to play with new toys.
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John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote: I'm so tired of government contract work... There is no motivation to excel, and initiative is stomped out before it gains a foothold in peiople's minds.
I found the same thing to be true for many non-government companies.
The higher, the fewer.[^]
Latest Article - Slack-Chatting with you rPi
Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny
Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802
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Years ago I had a friend who worked for a State Government out of college. After some time his boss told him he had too much ambition and should not work in government anymore. His boss played Solitaire all day long.
However, there are days that I wish I was working a government job and could just take it easy.
Everyone is born right handed. Only the strongest overcome it.
Fight for left-handed rights and hand equality.
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My TWO previous private companies were exactly the same.
GCS d--(d+) s-/++ a C++++ U+++ P- L+@ E-- W++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- r+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
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What I find ironic is that while everybody agrees that a redsesign/rewrite would be a good thing, they don't want to commit to it, and eventually, the software becomes so outdated and im[possible to maintain that it goes "EOL", and everybody blames the programmers for not "taking the initiative to do a rewrite (that management refused to allow in the first place.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010 ----- You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010 ----- When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013
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Everybody also agrees that World Peace would be a good thing but...
GCS d--(d+) s-/++ a C++++ U+++ P- L+@ E-- W++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- r+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
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world peace isn't practical, but web site modernization is.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010 ----- You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010 ----- When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013
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John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote: but web site modernization is
You don't stroll in Q&A often, don't you?
GCS d--(d+) s-/++ a C++++ U+++ P- L+@ E-- W++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- r+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
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I would say the opposite.
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1. John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote: everybody agrees
2. John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote: they don't want to commit to it,
3. John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote: software becomes so outdated
4. John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote: everybody blames the programmers
When you put those into a list, it sounds like :
A BRAND NEW SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGY!!!!
All we need now...is a CATCHY NAME!
How about
THe Non-Dev Agreement Cycle!?! Nice acronym too: N-DAC (pronounced in-dack).
Perfect!!!
Everyone (who is important) will love this because it consists of a Software Dev Blame Cycle.
Write it up and get rich.
All you need now is a self-important book on the topic.
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This is why you keep every business email.
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Did you take source code home or just start from scratch?
Also, does the contract specify what technologies the application is to be built from? If so, that may be a stumbling block until contract renewal time anyway.
Wait a second, didn't this new assignment mean you were the tech lead?
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I took some screen shots of the current app for layout reference and menu contents, but that's all.
My new version has four user-selectable "themes" (selection is stored in the database):
0) Dark with some layout changes
1) Steel/slate blue with the same layout changes (the Air Force likes blue stuff)
2) Lite using the same colors as the original layout, but with same element layout changes as in the dark theme
3) The original layout with no changes - looks almost identical to the original site (has some spacing differences associated with using bootstrap/telerik that I'm going to try to resolve). This only required a couple of different partial views.
The layout changes mentioned above include relocation of some of the elements to reclaim vertical screen space, and remove unnecessary text from the screen during normal use. The site will also be mobile aware, but since our minimum width is 1024px (because iPad, and we won't be supporting phone screen sizes), I'm not sure if that's a real selling point.
I also have a second project that combines all of the apps in the suite into a single app, and uses areas for segregation of app-specific concerns. This will reduce the overall footprint on the server (because there will be only one copy of things like the Telerik library), and should make deployment easier besides. It also has the same theming stuff in it.
I'm pretty close to giving a demonstration, but now I don't know if it's even going to be worth my time. And that's a cryin' f*ckin' shame.
The contract does not specify the stack we use.
Yes, I'm the lead, and I was told I could redesign it if I felt the need. I feel the need. The main problem is that I feel like the rest of the apps have to come along for the ride, if for no other reason than to have everything look/act the same. THAT is the part that's going to be the hard sell.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010 ----- You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010 ----- When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013
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John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote: The layout changes mentioned above include relocation of some of the elements to reclaim vertical screen space, and remove unnecessary text from the screen during normal use. The site will also be mobile aware, but since our minimum width is 1024px (because iPad, and we won't be supporting phone screen sizes), I'm not sure if that's a real selling point.
I feel your pain. Have had to leave screens in terrible shape because one of the users refused to move out of 800x600 mode. Once he retired we were able to reorganize the layout and accommodate modern screen resolutions. It was an Army project too.
We had to keep the field order the same because the operators were keyboard wizards and had the tabbing memorized.
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Well, most of today's developers don't actually want to develop anything at all -- they want others to do the development and then glue the pieces together-- so guys like us who actually enjoy development seem strange to them.
At my current place, I'm tolerated to some extent because they recognize that there are times when we must develop something custom. Yet there is an edict from on high favoring "buy vs build". (Yuck, no way to run a railroad.) They also prefer a dangerously low Baskets:Eggs ratio, but that's another story.
One time my boss actually said something about "innovation in moderation".
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PIEBALDconsult wrote: they want others to do the development and then glue the pieces together
Have you visited QA recently? Some of them want others to glue the pieces together for them too. And provide the glue.
"These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined."
- Homer
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John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote: I'm so tired of government contract work... There is no motivation to excel, and initiative is stomped out before it gains a foothold in peiople's mind
Reminds me of working for the ministry of defence. Dull, utterly dull. No zing, no 'go for it' mentality.
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Much better to work for Ministry of Offence.
GCS d--(d+) s-/++ a C++++ U+++ P- L+@ E-- W++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- r+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
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Years ago I worked for the railroad and the whole shop was writing code in C. I taught classes, wrote a large class library and ended up writing a huge piece of code in C++ but do you think I could draw them away from C? No, I gave up!
Got my site back up after my time in the woods!
JaxCoder.com
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Me, Industrial sector, VB6, C++.
Same story.
GCS d--(d+) s-/++ a C++++ U+++ P- L+@ E-- W++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- r+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
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Amazing how resistant humans are to change.
Got my site back up after my time in the woods!
JaxCoder.com
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Mostly it's those who "learnt to code" and not how to design, how that magic box under their desk works and how to manage a project. Those are people that are scared ****less of change because they know they don't have neither the knowledge basis nor the ba**s to move on to something new and more appropriate.
Then there are the manglers, pardon, managers, who can't see farther than two inches after their noses and understand jack s**t about what they're managing (and Jack is out of town).
GCS d--(d+) s-/++ a C++++ U+++ P- L+@ E-- W++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- r+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
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It works like this (public and private sectors alike):
Long ago we spent an absolute fortune on something that was poorly conceived and planned. It went way over budget and never really did the job properly.
We had years of back and forth between development and UAT and thousands and thousands of hours were wasted.
Now, you're telling us that it could have been done much more simply and effectively without a life-time of associated technical debt. We'd like to believe you (and you may well be right!) but the pilchard who worked on the previous system told us exactly the same things back in the day and now we're never going to trust a developer again. Ever.
Sorry about that, now can you just add a little more string and sellotape to get the existing pile of garbage to do one extra little thing, please?
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. - Mark Twain
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and some times, that little string sellotape is what break the camel's back. Humpty-dumpty can not be fixed any more.
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I deal with the same thing although not at a Federal level, so I completely empathize with your situation. I've got a lot of thoughts on the subject but would rather not have them discovered by my current employer.
The good thing about it is that you are almost guaranteed that you will never be let go. We've got contractors who have been here 20+ years. From my point of view that isn't a contract, that is an employee.
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