From: Devin Mullins <twifkak@...>
Date: 2005-07-16T08:09:18+09:00
Subject: Re: Ruby momentum?

Where I work (and I imagine most places), they don't bring developers on 
a project until *after* the technology decisions have been made. (Well, 
there was a market evaluation project about 3-4 years ago that made all 
the decisions.) On my interview with the PM of a greenfield project, I 
saw on her computer screen in the background completed order forms for 
the J2EE application server, the database, and have a strong hunch that 
we'll be tied to a particular framework, too. Given that ordering things 
takes time, it makes sense to get this done before you have developers, 
so that they're not twiddling their thumbs, but hey, we might've been 
able to save them some time and money by suggesting a free platform 
(Tomcat & Postgres or, gasp, RoR*).

What is it going to take for us to adopt it? My guess: Skunkworks. Some 
tiny, rogue development team manages to use RoR simply because they're a 
blip in upper management's radar, and does something really successful 
(though small) as a result. Then, they go on tour throughout the 
building, presenting and such. Unfortunately, I'm not working for that 
tiny, rogue development team.

Devin

*Actually when I've mentioned Ruby at work it's inspired more often a 
chuckle than a gasp. It's partly because they know how difficult it is 
to get new technologies (well, new anything) adopted there, but I think 
it's partly because it sounds like hype to them.** It'd be less of a 
problem if the bureaucracy was this adversarial system against which the 
agile development shops would try to push back, but, sadly, the 
bureaucracy seems to have permeated the culture.

**Well, okay, there are a few that were, however, really interested in it.