I think the kind of people you hire (or want to hire) has a big impact on what kind of development methodology works for you. And vice versa. TFA mentions as one of the advantages of more process-oriented (less agile) methodologies that you can hire cheaper programmers. Compare McDonalds to a quality restaurant: McDonalds cooks by process rather than people, and it works very well for them. But no real chef will want to work in their kitchen.
If you want to hire heroes, you need to treat them as such, and that means a more agile methodology. If you want a tightly controlled process that doesn't depend on individual heroics, you'd better hire some zeroes.
(I didn't finish the entire FA. There's some interesting stuff in the middle. It would surprise me if it comes to this very same conclusion in the end.)
It's not the ONLY road to success. But it's part of the secret blend of herbs and spices.
It's not about cranking the difficulty up until it becomes impossible. Impossible enough even a bot can't succeed anymore. That's not enjoyable.
What do you mean: "even a bot can't succeed anymore"? There are plenty of games where even the smartest AI can't compete with a human: strategy games. And those are games that have always been about challenge. Has Civ ever been fun at the easiest level, waltzing over stone-age AI civilizations? The fun has always been to crush them at Emperor level. The harder it is, the more satisfying the victory.
Of course victory still needs to be possible. Playing a game that can't be won soon loses its appeal.
So, unless you happen to go to a lot of parties without kids where board games always take center stage, I don't see how it's worth it.
Like I said, you've fallen for the "games are for kids" fallacy. I own a ton of board games for ages 12+, and most of my (age 30+) family and friends love to get together to play games. Games that are often way too complex for kids (not to mention that they're often in a foreign language).
A lot of people get together with 4-6 people and play games. A lot of couples love playing games. If there's a market for expensive games (and there is), then there can also be a market for expensive toys to play games on.
Will I buy one? No (see above for 'meh' factor). I just don't have a need for it, but I can see the appeal.
Me neither. To me, the boardgame option is really the only thing the iPad has to offer over other devices on the market. But even then: it's too small and too closed. Give me something 2 - 4 times that size, with multitouch and an open interface, and we're talking. I'd love to develop some innovative games for a platform like that.
What board games are you buying and where are you shopping? Last time I checked Scrabble and Monopoly were still in the sub-20 dollar range. Even Axis and Allies is 40-50 bucks.
Those are some pretty old games. True, there are also many recent boardgames are also in the $20-$30 price bracket, but there are also a lot that cost $50+ even for just the basic game. With expansions, many games can easily cost more than $100. Even good old Settlers of Catan can get close to $200 if you buy all the expansions.
The basic ASL rulebook costs $100, and that's without any boards. Get Beyond Valor as well, and you're close to $200. I'm sure there are people who've spent more than $1000 on that game. (Hm... porting VASL to the iPad could be a very good idea.)
Speaking of games that people spend $1000s on, what about Magic the Gathering? Playing that on a couple of automated boards so you don't have to buy all the cards, could save you a fortune.
What you're saying is: you're not a board gamer, you're not familiar with modern board games, the only board games you do know are old and tired, and you only play those as a last resort.
Maybe you should have a look at BoardGameGeek. Several of the games he mentioned are in the top-10, and deservedly so.
yup. This is just an attempt by apple to make this appealing.
And it is appealing. In fact, I think it's the only area where the iPad has anything meaningful to offer over other products already on the market.
The idea of a multitouch screen for automated boardgames isn't new, and it'd be incredibly powerful for automating the administration of complex boardgame. The only real problem is that the iPad is way too small for most complex boardames.
That sets the precedent of having the government make citizens report behavior the government doesn't like. There is no single worse law than that.
Behaviour that the government doesn't like? Are you suggesting that your average citizen thinks violent crime is okay? Isn't it about helping the victim, rather than appeasing the government?
In my opinion, if you're not willing to do even the tiniest thing to help an innocent victim, and refuse to do anything at all to assist in bringing the perpetrator to justice, then you've chosen the side of the criminal, and you've chosen against a safe and peaceful society.
I don't know all the details, but the basic idea of the law is good. If you see a violent crime, the very least you should do is report it and identify the perpetrators.
If your employer's finances are so bad that not working 1-2 months of unpaid overtime will bankrupt them, I advise that you start looking for another job.
Even more so if the employer is unable to pay you for your overtime work.
It sounds like the company really wants to die, if they're unwilling to pay someone to save them.
Then I can read slashdot at a -1 threshold without having to read this crap. (some Offtopic -1 post are still interesting)
I agree wholeheartedly. And who the hell modded this Flamebait? Offtopic, perhaps, but still a very valid point, considering the recent crap that trolls have been posting on Slashdot.
That said, I think it's important that you find a way to be very very clear with the owners about what you believe the consequences to their actions will be. Do it in writing if possible. Be polite and respectful, but don't be subtle. The more vague you are, the more likely it is that they'll hear what they want to hear and ignore what they don't want to hear. Be as clear as possible without incurring their wrath. If you have to, be repetitive and say the same exact thing 5 different ways, but make sure that they understand how their bad actions put the future of your company in jeopardy.
Also understand that they might not like you afterwards. I've known a number of small business owners who were manipulative and petty and they couldn't tolerate anyone pointing out their flaws or telling them they're wrong.
So don't tell them they're wrong, tell them they're important. Tell them their work is also important, and therefore it needs to be backed up regularly, protected with the best anti-virus stuff, whatever. Don't make it sound like a chore, make it sound like you're doing it especially for them. Because they and their work is really that important.
How are they going to reply to that? Say that their work is not important? Not likely.
If they ignore it, you could try asking: "Is your work so unimportant that your laptop doesn't need protection/backup/whatever? I think you're doing important work, so that means your laptop deserves protection that is at least as good as that of any other machine here."
Make them feel important. I'm sure they love that.
Depends. If the alternative is to be unemployed, then a paid job in a bad environment might still be preferable.
Somewhere in the depths of the dot.com crash, I got fired for being ill. Totally illegal, and I could have sued to get my job back, but I wanted to leave there anyway, and thought I could get a new job easily enough, so I only sued for severance pay.
Turns out that in the depths on the dot.com crash, it's not all that easy for a programmer to find a job. I spent over a year unemployed.
I don't know. They're still not free, you know. And you don't want to send inmates into a deep depression either. Yes, learning useful skills sounds like a good way to pass the time there, but there's a lot of time in prison, and they need to relax every once in a while too. Besides, RPGs can also teach useful skills.
Maybe the prison would prefer it if they played Shadowrun? Violent, gun-toting hoodlums breaking in and out of places sounds like just the thing to play when you're in prison.
I'd dare say that the majority of os x users are graphic artists/audio people and the like still, coders and those who love the shell seem to gravitate to linux more frequently.
In the pre-OS X days, you'd probably have been right. Since OS X, however, a lot of programmers have been switching to OS X for development, exactly because it's just a regular unix below the hood.
Barely. It takes years and years of overindulging on pot and alcohol to cause any sort of permanent mental or physical damage.
Your exquating alcohol with pot is hopelessly misinformed. You can OD on alcohol the first time you use it. People usually don't because most alcohol is drunk in a dilluted way, where it takes time for damage to build up (though it still kills brain cells), but people, and especially young people, do drink themselves into the hospital on a regular basis.
You equating alcohol with heroin in harmlessness
Harmlessness? You're the one claiming alcohol is harmless. I'm saying it's a hard drug.
Yes, in very low doses (one drink a day, especially from middle age onward) alcohol can be good for you, but binge drinking, the way some kids do surprisingly often, does put people in the hospital. It can do permanent damage very quickly. And in the long run, it will destroy your liver and your brain. There's more people addicted to alcohol than to any other drug.
The fact that there are also a lot of people capable of using alcohol responsibly, doesn't change the fact that alcohol does a lot of damage.
Slashdot Mirror
Lose the zeroes, hire some heroes.
I think the kind of people you hire (or want to hire) has a big impact on what kind of development methodology works for you. And vice versa. TFA mentions as one of the advantages of more process-oriented (less agile) methodologies that you can hire cheaper programmers. Compare McDonalds to a quality restaurant: McDonalds cooks by process rather than people, and it works very well for them. But no real chef will want to work in their kitchen.
If you want to hire heroes, you need to treat them as such, and that means a more agile methodology. If you want a tightly controlled process that doesn't depend on individual heroics, you'd better hire some zeroes.
(I didn't finish the entire FA. There's some interesting stuff in the middle. It would surprise me if it comes to this very same conclusion in the end.)
It makes the 8 real planets less special.
It's not the ONLY road to success. But it's part of the secret blend of herbs and spices.
It's not about cranking the difficulty up until it becomes impossible. Impossible enough even a bot can't succeed anymore. That's not enjoyable.
What do you mean: "even a bot can't succeed anymore"? There are plenty of games where even the smartest AI can't compete with a human: strategy games. And those are games that have always been about challenge. Has Civ ever been fun at the easiest level, waltzing over stone-age AI civilizations? The fun has always been to crush them at Emperor level. The harder it is, the more satisfying the victory.
Of course victory still needs to be possible. Playing a game that can't be won soon loses its appeal.
So, unless you happen to go to a lot of parties without kids where board games always take center stage, I don't see how it's worth it.
Like I said, you've fallen for the "games are for kids" fallacy. I own a ton of board games for ages 12+, and most of my (age 30+) family and friends love to get together to play games. Games that are often way too complex for kids (not to mention that they're often in a foreign language).
A lot of people get together with 4-6 people and play games. A lot of couples love playing games. If there's a market for expensive games (and there is), then there can also be a market for expensive toys to play games on.
Eh, I think you being overly optimistic that you will be able to buy the games electronically for less than you can buy they in cardboard.
Wait, are you claiming that an electronic, cardboard-free version is not going to be cheaper than the cardboard version?
I think you've fallen for the "games are for kids" fallacy there.
I think you grossly underestimate the number of half decent board games out there. BGG has 1396 games that rate a 6 or higher.
Will I buy one? No (see above for 'meh' factor). I just don't have a need for it, but I can see the appeal.
Me neither. To me, the boardgame option is really the only thing the iPad has to offer over other devices on the market. But even then: it's too small and too closed. Give me something 2 - 4 times that size, with multitouch and an open interface, and we're talking. I'd love to develop some innovative games for a platform like that.
What board games are you buying and where are you shopping? Last time I checked Scrabble and Monopoly were still in the sub-20 dollar range. Even Axis and Allies is 40-50 bucks.
Those are some pretty old games. True, there are also many recent boardgames are also in the $20-$30 price bracket, but there are also a lot that cost $50+ even for just the basic game. With expansions, many games can easily cost more than $100. Even good old Settlers of Catan can get close to $200 if you buy all the expansions.
The basic ASL rulebook costs $100, and that's without any boards. Get Beyond Valor as well, and you're close to $200. I'm sure there are people who've spent more than $1000 on that game. (Hm... porting VASL to the iPad could be a very good idea.)
Speaking of games that people spend $1000s on, what about Magic the Gathering? Playing that on a couple of automated boards so you don't have to buy all the cards, could save you a fortune.
What you're saying is: you're not a board gamer, you're not familiar with modern board games, the only board games you do know are old and tired, and you only play those as a last resort.
Maybe you should have a look at BoardGameGeek. Several of the games he mentioned are in the top-10, and deservedly so.
yup. This is just an attempt by apple to make this appealing.
And it is appealing. In fact, I think it's the only area where the iPad has anything meaningful to offer over other products already on the market.
The idea of a multitouch screen for automated boardgames isn't new, and it'd be incredibly powerful for automating the administration of complex boardgame. The only real problem is that the iPad is way too small for most complex boardames.
That sets the precedent of having the government make citizens report behavior the government doesn't like. There is no single worse law than that.
Behaviour that the government doesn't like? Are you suggesting that your average citizen thinks violent crime is okay? Isn't it about helping the victim, rather than appeasing the government?
In my opinion, if you're not willing to do even the tiniest thing to help an innocent victim, and refuse to do anything at all to assist in bringing the perpetrator to justice, then you've chosen the side of the criminal, and you've chosen against a safe and peaceful society.
I don't know all the details, but the basic idea of the law is good. If you see a violent crime, the very least you should do is report it and identify the perpetrators.
I'm not at all knowledgable about UK law but in the USA verbal agreements or promises are non-binding
In Netherland they are legally binding, but very hard to prove. You could have a case if you record the conversation, however.
If your employer's finances are so bad that not working 1-2 months of unpaid overtime will bankrupt them, I advise that you start looking for another job.
Even more so if the employer is unable to pay you for your overtime work.
It sounds like the company really wants to die, if they're unwilling to pay someone to save them.
How about a (-2) 'hate speech' mod.
Then I can read slashdot at a -1 threshold without having to read this crap.
(some Offtopic -1 post are still interesting)
I agree wholeheartedly. And who the hell modded this Flamebait? Offtopic, perhaps, but still a very valid point, considering the recent crap that trolls have been posting on Slashdot.
That said, I think it's important that you find a way to be very very clear with the owners about what you believe the consequences to their actions will be. Do it in writing if possible. Be polite and respectful, but don't be subtle. The more vague you are, the more likely it is that they'll hear what they want to hear and ignore what they don't want to hear. Be as clear as possible without incurring their wrath. If you have to, be repetitive and say the same exact thing 5 different ways, but make sure that they understand how their bad actions put the future of your company in jeopardy.
Also understand that they might not like you afterwards. I've known a number of small business owners who were manipulative and petty and they couldn't tolerate anyone pointing out their flaws or telling them they're wrong.
So don't tell them they're wrong, tell them they're important. Tell them their work is also important, and therefore it needs to be backed up regularly, protected with the best anti-virus stuff, whatever. Don't make it sound like a chore, make it sound like you're doing it especially for them. Because they and their work is really that important.
How are they going to reply to that? Say that their work is not important? Not likely.
If they ignore it, you could try asking: "Is your work so unimportant that your laptop doesn't need protection/backup/whatever? I think you're doing important work, so that means your laptop deserves protection that is at least as good as that of any other machine here."
Make them feel important. I'm sure they love that.
Depends. If the alternative is to be unemployed, then a paid job in a bad environment might still be preferable.
Somewhere in the depths of the dot.com crash, I got fired for being ill. Totally illegal, and I could have sued to get my job back, but I wanted to leave there anyway, and thought I could get a new job easily enough, so I only sued for severance pay.
Turns out that in the depths on the dot.com crash, it's not all that easy for a programmer to find a job. I spent over a year unemployed.
I don't know. They're still not free, you know. And you don't want to send inmates into a deep depression either. Yes, learning useful skills sounds like a good way to pass the time there, but there's a lot of time in prison, and they need to relax every once in a while too. Besides, RPGs can also teach useful skills.
What if they played any other sort of RPG?
Maybe the prison would prefer it if they played Shadowrun? Violent, gun-toting hoodlums breaking in and out of places sounds like just the thing to play when you're in prison.
I'd dare say that the majority of os x users are graphic artists/audio people and the like still, coders and those who love the shell seem to gravitate to linux more frequently.
In the pre-OS X days, you'd probably have been right. Since OS X, however, a lot of programmers have been switching to OS X for development, exactly because it's just a regular unix below the hood.
Barely. It takes years and years of overindulging on pot and alcohol to cause any sort of permanent mental or physical damage.
Your exquating alcohol with pot is hopelessly misinformed. You can OD on alcohol the first time you use it. People usually don't because most alcohol is drunk in a dilluted way, where it takes time for damage to build up (though it still kills brain cells), but people, and especially young people, do drink themselves into the hospital on a regular basis.
You equating alcohol with heroin in harmlessness
Harmlessness? You're the one claiming alcohol is harmless. I'm saying it's a hard drug.
Yes, in very low doses (one drink a day, especially from middle age onward) alcohol can be good for you, but binge drinking, the way some kids do surprisingly often, does put people in the hospital. It can do permanent damage very quickly. And in the long run, it will destroy your liver and your brain. There's more people addicted to alcohol than to any other drug.
The fact that there are also a lot of people capable of using alcohol responsibly, doesn't change the fact that alcohol does a lot of damage.
If it isn't abused, even heroin can be harmless. But some drugs are a lot easier to abuse than others, and alcohol is one of them.
Despite it being illegal there, pot use per capita in the US is higher than in Netherland, where it's (practically) legal.