- Freestanding Blackbox applications?

From: Bob Walkden <"Bob>
Date: Thu, 18 May 2006 23:23:12 +0100

----boundary-LibPST-iamunique-893065161_-_-
Content-type: text/plain

>
> Yes of course, but I would not bet on the success of "proselyting".
> As I can see it around, most professionals are not attracted
> to merits.
> The modern workplace works something like this: anything that
> the boss says is good, is good. I cannot convert my collegaue
> against his/her boss in any area. In such an environment, one
> needs to be independent in order to pursue a non-standard
> tool. People who maintain their independence are rare.

Yes. Just as dayglow zebras are rare on the Serengeti plain. There is a
certain Darwinian algorithm in operation in which the boss represents the
winnowing forces of natural selection.

> It is
> not by accident that many Blackbox users are in academia, or
> are independent software developers, or teachers. These are
> the situations where one can be independent.
>
> So, if you can see a prospective convert who is also a
> thinking and independent person, by all means go after such a
> prospect. But most of the time we are dealing with victims of
> the modern workplace system, who have cheerfully surrendered
> their independence long ago.

Not necessarily cheerfully, and not necessarily surrendered. Does the zebra
look cheerful and surrendered with the lion on its back?

> It is usually hopeless to show
> Blackbox to such people. Or anything else, for that matter.
>

'Such people' have to make a living. I have been one of these people, and
now I'm one of the bosses. We have 80 developers working for us. If we
introduced BB, much as I'd like to, we would have to find or train 80 BB
developers who would also be prepared to maintain the legacy software, and
who would not be able to find another BB job anywhere. It's not going to
happen. This sort of thing needs a lot of critical mass and BB has missed
the boat, until Microsoft decide to adopt it. When do you think that will
be? The best that we can hope for is that enough Wirthians enter Microsoft
Research to spread the spirit of Oberon from within.

Bob

--- BlackBox
--- send subject HELP or UNSUBSCRIBE to blackbox{([at]})nowhere.xy



----boundary-LibPST-iamunique-893065161_-_-
Content-type: application/rtf
Content-transfer-encoding: base64
Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="rtf-body.rtf"
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----boundary-LibPST-iamunique-893065161_-_---
Received on Fri May 19 2006 - 00:23:12 UTC

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Thu Sep 26 2013 - 06:28:00 UTC