Thank You, EllisLab
I’ve been building web sites for about 10 years. In that time I’ve seen a number of techniques come and go. During that time I’ve graduated from static, cobbled-together pages to only slightly more sophisticated “draw and slice” techniques and then to Dreamweaver-facilitated “draw and slice” and finally to hand-coded, ultra lightweight PHP/CSS sites (inspired by Mr. Abbott). While I still prefer the PHP/CSS approach for small to medium web apps and ASP.NET for larger web apps, I’ve also dabbled with content engines for my personal sites.
Sometime in 2003, I did the research and settled on EllisLab’s pMachine as the best content engine for me. It was highly flexible, reliable, and (most importantly) had a completely free version. pMachine served me very, very well over the years even if I didn’t upgrade as often as I should have. As a result, when it came time to build the University of Minnesota Lacrosse site, I had few reservations about trying its successor, ExpressionEngine.
I’ll be honest, the learning curve took me a few days to climb. I can’t really blame EllisLab for that, however, since most of the issues I encountered were due to the fact that I kept trying to apply old paradigms to a very modern product. If you’re looking for a product that comes admirably close to delivering on the promise of a web-driven site creation and management tool then I highly recommend you have a look at ExpressionEngine.
Posted on Jun 18 2008 in Web Design | Comments (0) | PermalinkString Beans
In Richard Feynman’s book “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman”, Feyman tells an anecdote about the time he was working as a desk clerk in his aunt’s hotel. Always looking for ways to improve things, the young Feynman had tied little pieces of paper to the hotel’s telephone switchboard so that when a call came he could see where the call was from and answer the phone from the other side of the desk where he frequently spent time. Apparently his boss came by and wanted to answer the phones, but couldn’t figure out the simple paper system Richard had devised. “What are all these papers doing? Why is the phone on this side? Why don’t you… raaaaaaaaa!”
He closes the chapter with these words:
“I tried to explain—it was my own aunt—that there was no reason not to do that, but you can’t say that to anybody who’s smart, who runs a hotel! I learned there that innovation is a very difficult thing in the real world.”
Well, Mr. Feyman, I certainly agree with you there. For the past year I’ve been leading the charge to bring Microsoft’s Visual Studio Team System to the company I work for. What started as an unfunded thing that few people wanted has gradually evolved into an underfunded thing that few people want. To be fair, it’s not VSTS in particular that they don’t want. No, I suspect that in the end what people are really avoiding is change.
I’ve had the good fortune of working with a lot of very smart people at some really great companies. Nearly all of my closest friends are current or former colleagues. It wasn’t until recently that I came to realize that there’s one thing that they all have in common; they are change. I don’t remember where I read it now, but there’s a great quote that went something like, ”You either are change or you get changed!” The people that I gravitate toward, the people I call my dearest friends, they are change.
Visual Studio Team System is a relatively new and very, very broadly-scoped product. Heck, it took Microsoft months just to figure out how to brand and sell it (and I still think their message could use refinement). It has rough edges, incomplete features, ill-supported add-ons, and teeters somewhat precariously on the line between Holy Grail and complete disaster. That being said, I applaud Microsoft for their efforts and the approach they’ve taken to delivering VSTS. There is no doubt in my mind that once Microsoft realizes their full vision for VSTS, it will be the only Application Lifecycle Management suite truly worth considering.
To successfully implement Visual Studio Team System, however, you and your organization must “be change”. If you are unwilling or incapable of rolling up your sleeves to find the answer to a problem, deal with the occasional hiccup, or educating yourself enough to see Microsoft’s vision for VSTS then you will probably fail. That’s not Microsoft’s fault, but rather your own. Adopting leading-edge technology means accepting some risk and genuinely investing yourself. If that’s outside of you or your organization’s comfort zone or you’re not prepared to do some reading and experimentation then you aren’t ready.
You will probably be changed.
Posted on Jun 17 2008 in Team System | Comments (0) | Permalink(Re) Birth of the Mule
Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic’s Notebook, 1966…
”It’s the most unhappy people who most fear change.”
As anyone that has occasionally read my blog can plainly see, I’ve decided to completely re-format and start fresh. Aside from the cosmetic changes, I also plan to divide into two distinct areas. This site will principally contain musings on my professional life. Things such as observations on technology, projects I’m working on, and so forth. I’ll be creating a new site for “the other side of Greg” that will be much less formal. In fact, that’s where most of my free time has gone over the last day or two, but fortunately a fair chunk of the work is reusable.
Sit tight and enjoy the ride!
Posted on Jun 14 2008 in News | Comments (0) | Permalink