Attitudes to tests and documentation

On a fairly regular basis I hear people saying that documentation needs to be produced as early as possible, because otherwise it won't get done.

By the same rationale, test driven development must be considered a good way to ensure that software has tests.

Alas, the ambulance parked at the bottom of the cliff is still seen as effective.

Talking Heads

I was reminded of a line from a song recently, "You're talking a lot, but you're not saying anything".

The rest of the lyrics aren't relevent, but that line sums up my thoughts after a recent presentation.

It was like going for a meal and expecting a big feast, only to discover that the host is only going to serve hors d'oeuvres.

Is it just me, or do most software developers like similes and metaphors?

Apache config

I used to be the administrator of a handful of servers as well as having regular developer responsibilities. At the time I saw it as a way to make myself more of a valuable resource to the company, which almost backfired during the dot bomb era when billable hours were the main measure of value to the company.

In recent weeks I have had to take on responsibility for configuring production servers once again.

There have been a mixture of feelings:
- expectation that I would be delegated the task
- curiosity at why the estimate for my work was lower than that for the original resource, despite the requirements increasing

It's been reassuring to see that I can still find my way around the configuration of Redhat and Apache, but I know I don't want to be stuck doing this long term.

Trust me

Lately I've been liking the expression, "Sometimes it's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission".

In my case it's not a matter of doing something without asking, but rather not doing what has been instructed.

Past experience just won't allow me to schedule testing with a third party when my client still needs to verify their approach has been approved. Admittedly it's nothing as critical as aircraft landing (that was a previous project), but it still has potential to waste time and money.

Of course I will never see that money as it was never mine, and I will inevitably be criticised for the communication delay.

Explaining will take longer than apologising, but I'm not the kind of person to apologise for doing what I feel was right.