Διάβαζα χτές ένα πολύ ενδιαφέρον βιβλίο, το
Object Thinking του David West, όπου μεταξύ άλλων αναφέρει μια αναλογία της κουλτούρας μιας εταιρίας Software Development με τον αρχαίο Ελληνικό και Ρωμαϊκό πολιτισμό .. και είπα να το μεταφέρω εδώ :]
( Συγνώμμη που δεν το μετέφρασα, αλλά δεν πρόλαβα ο δυστυχής ... )
"
Robert Glass makes the
argument for two cultures within the realm of software development, two cultures
that frequently find themselves in conflict based on cultural values. He uses an
analogy with Greek and Roman culture to illustrate the differences as
follows:
In ancient Greece, an individual would act
as his own agent in his own behalf, or combine with other people to act together
as a team. In a Greek work environment, you bring your tools to work with you,
you do your stuff, and then you pack up your tools and take them home. You are
an individual—an independent contractor. You are not owned body and mind. You
are merely providing a service for compensation.
In Rome, one’s first duty was to the group,
clan, class, or faction upon which one depended for status. Known as gravitas,
this meant sacrificing oneself for the good of the organization, and giving up
one’s individuality and identifying closely with the group. In a Roman
environment you go to work, the company hands you your tools, and then it holds
you and your mind hostage until you sever your relationship with the
organization. You are not an individual: you are owned by the organization body
and mind, twenty-four hours a day. There are substantial rewards for this,
however. The organization provides you with security, money, and power.
Glass is particularly interested in the degree to which the two
cultures support creativity and asserts that the Roman culture is likely to take
the creativity, passion, and magic out of the work of software development. He
further notes that Roman culture will emphasize up-front planning, control,
formal procedures as a means of control, and maximum documentation and will
value logical, analytical thinking above empirical and inductive thinking.
Even a cursory evaluation of XP values and practices reveals
their incompatibility with Roman thinking. When objects were
first introduced, they too reflected a Greek and not a Roman culture. Smalltalk
was motivated by a need to empower people, to make interaction with a computer
fun and creative. Exploratory development, a kind of rapid prototyping, was seen
as the proper way to develop new software—as opposed to the notion of up-front,
detailed design and rote implementation favored by the (Roman) structured
development culture.
"
Δεν το είχα σκεφτεί ποτέ έτσι, κι ας είχα 19 στην ιστορία στο Λύκειο ... (
τι φύτουλο !!! :D ) ... τώρα που το διάβασα όμως, προσθέτω κι εγώ τη geeky αναλογία μου ... Είναι σα να συγκρίνεις τη United Federation of Planets με το
Borg Collective !!! :D
Άντε, καλό απόγευμα dudes ...
Angel
O:]