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Re: motivating others about Dynamic Programming
In article <P3RW4.26243$Ft1.1183880@typhoon.ne.mediaone.net>,
"Scott McKay" <swm@mediaone.net> wrote:
> So what was their reaction to Dylan?
Actually, more positive than I had hoped. The syntax was familiar to
the Algol types, and the Smalltalk guy was at first puzzled then
pleased about covariance (he didn't like how classes were structured to
make
all members "public", as it were, but then saw the point when we got to
multimethods)
> Presumably these were
> people motivated to try something new and different?
Yes.
> Is there
> anything you learned that might persuade less motivated people
> to rethink their ideas about O-O programming?
Yes. Amazing results. Talk doesn't seem to do anything in my case.
However, when I develop and deliver a system in two weeks (that, by
their
estimate, would have required two months) using a dynamic language,
they stop, look, listen and want to learn more, instead of pontificate
the same old dogma.
It's a risk you must face if you want to change things or if you want
people to listen to you. I risked my job, because the PM said: "Java
for the GUI, C++ for everything else, no exceptions." I chose to
ignore that order because I knew, as you do, that there's a better way
to build rapidly evolving systems. I was vindicated (the PM told me to
continue development my way and plunked down $2500 for the IDE and add-
ons. Results, like money, talk), but I could have just as easily been
fired.
When people (managers, bosses, coworkers) notice you're six-times more
productive than the average software engineer, month in and month out,
a few things will happen: 1) you'll be assigned more work and tougher
(impossible for others) jobs, 2) you'll become the subject matter
expert/task lead/responsible authority on vital parts of your company's
system, 3) people will want you to solve their code/design problems and
to teach them these "new" techniques.
And so you get to become a Dynamic/Functional/Dylan Evangelist at 3).
Sincerely,
Douglas M. Auclair
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
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