Custom Software vs. COTS Products

andy1307 writes "Nicholas Carr, best known for setting off a firestorm with his "IT Doesn't Matter" article published in the Harvard Business Review, has an op-ed in today's New York Times arguing against the use of custom-built software in favor of off-the-shelf products. He cites the example of Ford scrapping a custom built software solution for buying supplies. He says companies, frustrated by the failure of custom built software, have taken to modifying their business processes around the packaged software solution. The most unbelievable line in the op-ed: "When it comes to developing software today, innovation should be a last resort, not a first instinct.". Most of us know of failed projects using off-the-shelf products that need minor customization. Is the track record of custom built software really that bad?"

Comments

The truth about Michael Sims

[Anonymous Coward]

Stop michael Now

For literally years, the "editor" "michael" has been splattering his moronic influence all over this website. Now, if Slashdot were some dipshit site without any effect on the online world, that'd be all well and good, but I and I'm sure you too would agree that as editor of the most popular "News for nerds" website, michael has a responsibility to us. Amongst the many things that michael has done are:

• inserting biased editorialising into story blurbs by putting words in "quotes" to put Democrat-oriented stories into disrepute
• going off on rants in the article text in all caps, screaming and railing against Intel's 64-bit efforts
• posting stories that have been instantly archived, allowing no one to post, and then not fixing the situation for an hour and a half
• moderating to -1, Offtopic or -1, Flamebait anyone who contests his idiot behavior
• modbombing entire threads of dozens of posts to -1, Offtopic
• applying a "bitchslap" operation to users who disagree with him, setting their karma to "Bad" or "Terrible" and taking away their ability to ever moderate again
• abusing his editor position for his personal vendetta against his DSL provider, inserting irrelevant, insolent comments in the "department" line.
• not explaining his actions
• hijacking domains (and then having the audacity to admonish others for it)
• posting blatantly false hoax stories, perpetuating the flow of misinformation (case in point: the tsunami creature story)
• posting links to sites that have then been switched to goatse, and then not explain what happened afterwards
• not editing stories in light of new, overriding information
• posting stories with broken URLs
• posting stories in the wrong section
• posting consecutive dupes - only he, CmdrTaco and timothy have managed to do this

The list goes on and on. michael must go. Slashdot's not that great as it is, but he's just dragging this place down all the faster. What can we do? Taco ignores all emails about his beloved $20K-a-year staff; he trusts michael more than the opinion of his beloved readers. Taco won't do a thing unless we can hit him where it hurts - in the pocket.
How? Simple. Taco relies upon the insightful-sounding commentary that this site occasionally produces. (You'll notice he doesn't go to the trouble of modding it up himself - he leaves it to us!). Without it, people stop visiting and Slashdot becomes unprofitable. So, here's what to do if you want to oust michael and force Taco to fix Slashdot:

• install adblocking software like Privoxy to block adverts
• set your preferences to eliminate the slanted crap posted by michael
• don't put links to Slashdot URLs on your blog; link directly to the URLs that the Slashdot story includes
• don't post genuine comments in the stories; if you must post them at all, do them in the journals of the people you want to talk to or email them privately
• any time michael (or any editor, for that matter) does something that they need to be

Scared

[wildBoar]

Certainly has a lot of PHBs scared. I know of many places where everything is outsourced and only standard products.

Customise it ! Do it in-house !! Are you mad !!!

To the extent these companies are spending a fortune rather than in-house and customise/support their business processes