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addresses the decrease in software usability that tended to result from not iteratively revisiting earlier phases of a project before delivering a product to the user. Some older, relatively static ideas of analysis, design, and code implementation simply do not fit well into a dynamic, cyclical, discovery-oriented development process. |
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Confronting the Myth About Prototypes |
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To prototype or not to prototype: that is the controversy. Smaller projects naturally take an informal approach to developing prototypes, whereas others are very sensitive about making the decision to develop them. In that environment where there has been a generally positive relationship between users and developers, prototypes tend to be successful in promoting a better understanding of user requirements, thus bolstering the credibility of the use cases that formalize them. However, where there's a lack of trust between the two camps, prototypes can serve to be pawns in a political battle between users, developers, and executives. In politically charged environments, it's best to postpone the introduction of prototypes to users until the requirements are reasonably well understood. Given that, it does not automatically follow that you should always introduce prototypes to users as soon as possible. |
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Prevailing False Assumptions About Visual Basic |
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Despite the attitudes of some in the general software industry, Visual Basic is the most successful and well-accepted language in the history of programming languages because it is both powerful and allows the rapid implementation of object-oriented designs. Visual Basic is certainly not a toy language anymore. It offers several helpful approaches to database connectivity and Internet development unparalleled by most programming languages. And it accommodates the widest ranges of experiences among its developer-consumer than most other languages. From beginning programmers (who have hailed from some very noncomputer backgrounds) to the most advanced computer scientists, Visual Basic is like the Statue of Liberty, welcoming all the tired masses who hunger for easier development into her environment. By the way, if you do hail from a nonprogramming background, be sure to reread the first four chapters to develop an understanding of the fundamentals of effective software development in Visual Basic. |
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