Ming the Mechanic:
The Six Laws of the New Software
The NewsLog of Flemming Funch
 The Six Laws of the New Software2005-02-04 15:14
7 comments
by Flemming Funch

As a programmer I'd of course like to write something great and new and useful. But the problem is, as Dror Eyal says in
The Six Laws of New Software:
You're too late! Most home consumers have all the software they will ever need, and most companies out there already have all the basic technologies they need to successfully compete.

Hm, yeah. But not exactly encouraging. So, what are those six laws?
SINGLE IDEA: The best way to succeed in the marketplace is to create software that fulfills a specific need. This may seem like an obvious point at first, but if you can not explain to the end user what the software does in a single sentence it is probably too complex. Your first task is to ask yourself, “What does my product do?”

COLLABORATE: Forget enterprise systems that do everything possible within your field. They’re too large, clumsy and require too much development time. Instead, create small discrete software that can collaborate seamlessly with the technology that the end users are currently using.

DISAPPEAR: No matter what kind of software you are creating, you have to simplify the interface. The greatest software in the world is useless if it is too complex to use. Decrease the interruption of the user experience by reducing the user interface to the point where only the essence is showing.

SIMPLIFY: Do I have to go through a course to work with your technology? If so, you are already out of the market. I don’t have time and I already have something similar which I’m used to.

RELEASE: Start creating and releasing your software now. Think prototypes, iterative releases and user base. Don’t spend your time on writing business plans, designing a website and choosing logos. The competition is moving a lot faster than you may think.

COMPLY: Find the relevant international standard in your marketplace and comply. This will enforce good architecture and keep your product on track when your customers will want it to integrate with their legacy software. You know they will want you to integrate.

He elaborates the detail on each one. Well, excellent advice. Do something clear and simple and useful. Make it obvious to use. Make it work with existing standards and other programs. And don't think about it for very long. Put it out there right now. Yep.


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7 comments

4 Feb 2005 @ 18:52 by swanny : Software Idea
hey ming not sure if you'd be interested in this
but its with regard to global warming
and such and might have potential for a grant
but heres the scoop.
Its called the STCP or the "Standard Temperature Grid Program"
What would be required is to over every one or two hour period
take the current temp of 60 or some number of exquidistant 'temp sensor" sites
around the globe. If this could then be established as a Global standard
it would serve as a reference point and such towards the apparent global warming
situation. The idea is based along the lines of Standard Time Zones which in themselves
are relative and arbitray but who by our use Standardizes Global time so we know more
approximately the correct and current time. It might not be of much use intially but over the years the data could indicate temperature trends or patterns. The 60 site temps are added up and divided by 60 to give a global mean temperature which would help as to organize and cut down on the number of variables involved in weather and climate sensing and keeping them equidistant would incorporate the "spacial" aspect.
Again it would take years or decades perhaps till the data prooved anything
but we have to start somewhere. This standard then could be adopted globally and monitored for variations. Sure altitude and wind and clouds and such would factor in and it would be fairly crude initially but as the data came in it might reveal patterns and global trends.
Now I suppose you could add the humidity as well but keeping it relatively simple and sustainable would be better. I'd just be curious to see the results of a year and see how
the numbers crunch. You probably want the temps for sure at the poles and I think theyre
around somewhere and possibly islands in the ocean and it would be nice to get some
ocean or water sites too and a lot around the equator. I suppose the earth tilt would be another variable but it shouldn't be that hard to do if you could somehow suck up the select data that I'm pretty sure is already available.
Oh which reminds me I was wonderin if they were "recording" that big quake from earth satellites and if they could see anything of the tsuanmi .
Any way just a concept.  

4 Feb 2005 @ 19:09 by swanny : Rain Forests
I was just pondering that you could probably backtrack at least some of the data
100 years ago if some of your sites were places where they have been keeping
temperature records for a while. This would perhaps be moderately useful
in determining the current situation a little faster. What good is monitoring if we
can't do much about it? hmmm well it would give maybe indications of the major trouble spots if any. Like the cutting down and burning of the rain forests at a rate of
1 acre per second. And there's probably more  

4 Feb 2005 @ 19:41 by Ge Zi @24.127.146.67 : bill gates
"...Most home consumers have all the software they will ever need..."

Didn't BillyG said something like "64k that should be all anybody should ever need"?  

4 Feb 2005 @ 20:46 by ming : All we'll ever need
Yeah, so I think the point is that we don't need more of the same. Making a new word processor - not much potential in that, somebody has probably already done it better. But there's something we haven't thought of yet, but which we're ready for, and that would be the thing to do. The stuff that pushes the boundaries. The stuff we can maybe only do if we have 64Gigs, or if ...  

4 Feb 2005 @ 20:48 by ming : Global Warming
Good idea, Swanny. Well, I bet it is already being done. There are lots of temperature sensors in many areas, and probably a record of their mesurements. But there might be a reason for more easy and direct access to such things. Like, how can I see for myself? I should know whether there's global warming, by looking at graphs of temperatures and averages, rather than having to wait for somebody to say something in the news. Same with many other things. I want to see for myself.  

5 Feb 2005 @ 21:28 by vaxen : Aha!
AC+DC+CERI=CO-OPERATION

The EP of the GMC is the 'perception' that there are other games.

;)  

21 Apr 2016 @ 19:18 by Delly @188.143.232.32 : jJqrwlfXMQTeMVKt
All of my questions settned-thalks!  

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