The Word of mAn[S]o0r

Well well well.. this guy articulated what i felt when i went poking around the Struts framework.. and eventually landed up all the way to the Keel (meta)framework ! Oh my God ! dat was enuff to give me nightmares... eventually though, i just started making websites out of ordinary jsp and servlets... sometimes mixing it struts, and once went as far as hibernate ! (all these are apache projects by the way). Read on for a very true description of what developers nowadays go through when a 'new tech' is around da corner.

The Joel on Software Discussion Group - Why I Hate Frameworks

Why I Hate Frameworks
I'm currently in the planning stages of building a hosted Java web application (yes, it has to be Java, for a variety of reasons that I don't feel like going into right now). In the process, I'm evaluating a bunch of J2EE portlet-enabled JSR-compliant MVC role-based CMS web service application container frameworks.

And after spending dozens of hours reading through feature lists and documentation, I'm ready to gouge out my eyes.

Let's pretend I've decided to build a spice rack.

I've done small woodworking projects before, and I think I have a pretty good idea of what I need: some wood and a few basic tools: a tape measure, a saw, a level, and a hammer.

If I were going to build a whole house, rather than just a spice rack, I'd still need a tape measure, a saw, a level, and a hammer (among other things).

So I go to the hardware store to buy the tools, and I ask the sales clerk where I can find a hammer.

"A hammer?" he asks. "Nobody really buys hammers anymore. They're kind of old fashioned."

Surprised at this development, I ask him why.

"Well, the problem with hammers is that there are so many different kinds. Sledge hammers, claw hammers, ball-peen hammers. What if you bought one kind of hammer and then realized that you needed a different kind of hammer later? You'd have to buy a separate hammer for your next task. As it turns out, most people really want a single hammer that can handle all of the different kinds of hammering tasks you might encounter in your life."

"Hmmmmmm. Well, I suppose that sounds all right. Can you show me where to find a Universal Hammer."

"No, we don't sell those anymore. They're pretty obsolete."

"Really? I thought you just said that the Universal Hammer was the wave of the future."

"As it turns out, if you make only one kind of hammer, capable of performing all the same tasks as all those different kinds of hammers, then it isn't very good at any of them. Driving a nail with a sledgehammer isn't very effective. And, if you want to kill your ex-girlfriend, there's really no substitute for a ball-peen hammer."

"That's true. So, if nobody buys Universal Hammers anymore, and if you're no longer selling all those old-fashioned kinds of hammers, what kinds of hammers do you sell?"

"Actually, we don't sell hammers at all."

"So..."

"According to our research, what people really needed wasn't a Universal Hammer after all. It's always better to have the right kind of hammer for the job. So, we started selling hammer factories, capable of producing whatever kind of hammers you might be interested in using. All you need to do is staff the hammer factory with workers, activate the machinery, buy the raw materials, pay the utility bills, and PRESTO...you'll have *exactly* the kind of hammer you need in no time flat."

"But I don't really want to buy a hammer factory..."

"That's good. Because we don't sell them anymore."

"But I thought you just said..."

"We discovered that most people don't actually need an entire hammer factory. Some people, for example, will never need a ball-peen hammer. (Maybe they've never had ex-girlfriends. Or maybe they killed them with icepicks instead.) So there's no point in someone buying a hammer factory that can produce every kind of hammer under the sun."

"Yeah, that makes a lot of sense."

"So, instead, we started selling schematic diagrams for hammer factories, enabling our clients to build their own hammer factories, custom engineered to manufacture only the kinds of hammers that they would actually need."

"Let me guess. You don't sell those anymore."

"Nope. Sure don't. As it turns out, people don't want to build an entire factory just to manufacture a couple of hammers. Leave the factory-building up to the factory-building experts, that's what I always say!!"

"And I would agree with you there."

"Yup. So we stopped selling those schematics and started selling hammer-factory-building factories. Each hammer factory factory is built for you by the top experts in the hammer factory factory business, so you don't need to worry about all the details that go into building a factory. Yet you still get all the benefits of having your own customized hammer factory, churning out your own customized hammers, according to your own specific hammer designs."

"Well, that doesn't really..."

"I know what you're going to say!! ...and we don't sell those anymore either. For some reason, not many people were buying the hammer factory factories, so we came up with a new solution to address the problem."

"Uh huh."

"When we stepped back and looked at the global tool infrastructure, we determined that people were frustrated with having to manage and operate a hammer factory factory, as well as the hammer factory that it produced. That kind of overhead can get pretty cumbersome when you deal with the likely scenario of also operating a tape measure factory factory, a saw factory factory, and a level factory factory, not to mention a lumber manufacturing conglomerate holding company. When we really looked at the situation, we determined that that's just too complex for someone who really just wants to build a spice rack."

"Yeah, no kidding."

"So this week, we're introducing a general-purpose tool-building factory factory factory, so that all of your different tool factory factories can be produced by a single, unified factory. The factory factory factory will produce only the tool factory factories that you actually need, and each of those factory factories will produce a single factory based on your custom tool specifications. The final set of tools that emerge from this process will be the ideal tools for your particular project. You'll have *exactly* the hammer you need, and exactly the right tape measure for your task, all at the press of a button (though you may also have to deploy a few *configuration files* to make it all work according to your expectations)."

"So you don't have any hammers? None at all?"

"No. If you really want a high-quality, industrially engineered spice rack, you desperately need something more advanced than a simple hammer from a rinky-dink hardware store."

"And this is the way everyone is doing it now? Everyone is using a general-purpose tool-building factory factory factory now, whenever they need a hammer?"

"Yes."

"Well…All right. I guess that's what I'll have to do. If this is the way things are done now, I guess I'd better learn how to do it."

"Good for you!!"

"This thing comes with documentation, right?"

Technorati Tags: java, framwork, struts, server side, keel, hibernate, humour

The following artcle made me think of the changes in vocabularly in my own languange.. due to tech. I think the biggest change i've seen around is the use of tags while on IM.. more specifically and the like........ and while in spoken, the greater use of the word "BRB". My dad actually caught me a couple of times saying this to him and well.. since then it's been infectious. Even on the phone.. i've forgotten to say "hold on" and now just say "brb" and put the caller on hold.

Anyone else having any interesting usages of tech in daily language.

ZDNet Australia: Blogs: Tech and the City

Think tech

By Ella Morton, ZDNet Australia
28 February 2006 11:39 AM

My mother once called in sick to work so that she could stay home and play Prince of Persia. Over 10 years later, she still refers to it as "one of the funnest days of my life".

Computer games allow you to immerse yourself in a world where the rules of real life no longer apply. What I find interesting about them is not so much their addictive nature (although I have spent many a late night tending to a sprawling Sim City metropolis or trying to guess codes in Myst) as the way they affect your way of thinking.

When The Sims first came out, I began to think of the world in Sim terms. I'd make a mental note to call a friend I hadn't spoken to in a while, so that our relationship score would improve. I'd look around the house at all the furniture and catalogue each item, just like Edward Norton does in Fight Club.

Tech affects our thinking in other ways, too. For example, a few weeks ago, a fellow Zedder sent me this instant message:




Geeky? Of course. But also a succinct and amusing way of expressing a relatable sentiment.

I'd also wager that many among us have prefaced a long-winded e-mail with , or even harked back to IRC days by using /me.

What I long for is a way of flagging sarcasm or irony in a text-based medium without resorting to overt, humour-killing methods such as tacking "Just kidding!" on the end of every joke. E-mail and instant messaging are incapable of conveying nuances of speech, which is very frustrating when you are trying to be a bit witty but uncertain whether it's worth the gamble of insulting the person on the other end. While you may read a shrewdly observed jibe in your mind with the voice of Rowan Atkinson as Blackadder, the recipient may have a far more literal interpretation.

For further (scientifically backed) musings on sarcasm in e-mail, take a look at this link.

Technorati Tags: tech, talk, im

Only from Microsoft !
Check it out !

World's largest Windows error message | NetworkWorld.com Community

The Apprentice

Sir Alan Sugar started off the first show of the new series with a Spoonerism and an incorrect forecast in just one sentence. He told the the new candidates: "If you're thinking, gentlemen, of prancing round in your Calvin Kleins, showing your three-piece suite bulgin' you can forget about it - and similarly ladies, flashin' your hair back is not gonna get you anywhere."

Know what im talking about ? Its the Apprentice UK ! Just saw the first episode and here's my rants on it...

As usual, the first thing which comes to mind is.. how does Sir Alan compare to Donald Trump or the UK version with the US version... Im sorry Donald... but Sir Alan takes the cup in meanness ! Man, i thought u were mean, in how you conduct the show, and make the apprentice hopeful's shudder in their pants.. but Sir Alan simply blows you out of the water !

The show started with more of a documentary style, reminding me of Discovery Channel or some boring university documentary.... but as soon as Sir Alan came on... he changed the air ! The no-nonsense air about this guy has become a thing to worship ! And from there.. it was fun watching. The US version, with its sound scores is much more entertaining from the onset.

One thing which was common in BOTH episodes were the apprentice candidates... it seems guys in business are pretty professional, and take on risks which doesnt involve demeaning oneself... the girls on the other hand.... take on whatever advantage they can find.. be it their feminine wiles, seduction or plain old 'a kiss for a dollar'. Watching the first episode, the girls made me sick ! and i hope they get what they deserve !

What am i ranting on about ? Well, here goes.
The task was, both teams were given 500 pounds to buy fruit vegetable wholesale and sell at a market, the team having the most amount of money in the end would win... (i wont tell you who won though). Both teams set out.. the guys haggle and bargain their way to get the best price on good quality produce. The girls... they 'convince' the wholesalers to give them the fruit for free. Their rationalization ?? It was past its shelf life and we were doing them a favour taking it off their hands. Now when i say 'convince', i mean hugging, kissing and massaging the store owners into giving them the produce ! I mean it sucks ! Where's the professionalism ? Where's the education ? Is this what college degree's and success in business teach them ? to sell via sex ? This world needs a really good morality lesson and pretty soon !

Anyway, what happened in it is better to be seen rather than just read about. Get your hands on the episode and watch it.

My summary on the series:
Sir Alan makes more than an impact, he gives a humble blogger an IDOL to follow, and makes the series worth watching. Just sorry i couldnt catch the first season. Oh well... will get it on DVD hopefully soon.

For those who dont know.. the guy in the middle is Sir Alan Sugar.

How to Subscribe to TV Shows Using The Democracy Player, Bittorrent, and RSS

Ahhh ! the freedom of watching TV show's at your own leisure ! BitTorrent can be a life saver if your sitting on the 'other' side of the globe and dont have access to TV show's until they're well in their second or third seasons.

I like this idea.. gotta try it ! Automated downloading rules !


Technorati Tags: tv, bittorrent, rss