What a day at work. We’re on the homestretch now folks. Most of us are going slightly nuts. Software development is a funny industry. It reminds me of John Digweed.
I can hear you saying now, “How, good Krishen, could software development possibly remind you John Digweed?” I’m glad you asked. It reminds me of Diggers because you really can’t gain an understanding of either without more than a glance. There’s a bigger picture at work, a picture that forms over time. (Don’t your pictures work?)
When building software, you start off gathering requirements; then you create a specification, and plateau with a design. You start building with implementation; things get more frantic with testing. You tear and scream toward release. Then you break down.
I think you can see where this is all going. John Digweed makes you fall apart. Something like that.
Anyhow, amongst all the talk at work of compile errors and warnings and headers and build phases and frameworks and libraries and ProjectBuilder vs. Codewarrior, my manager asked me something a little more interesting. “Do you have a computer that can run Mac OS X at home?” “Yes, definitely do, I’ve got a Power Mac G4.” What, did he want me to testing something back at the apartment tonight?
“No, I mean back in Canada. Do you have a Mac there?”. Um, wait a sec! Was this his way of telling me I get to go home?! Somewhat excitedly, trying to hide it: “No, uh I mean, yes!”
“Because I’d like you to test our product while you’re there. You’ll need to give me your contact information, phone number, email, etc.” Me: “Okay!!”
Later that night, I found myself explaining to my manager that I had bought the Powershot G3 last week because it would be nice to have in case I got the chance to go home for Christmas. Not really sure how that slipped out, but it turned out to be a good thing. He put his previous implication in more precise terms. “I think you are going to go on your vacation. I’d really like you to go.”
Doesn’t get any clearer than that.
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