Comments on: Internal software development isn't THAT bad http://blog.lphuberdeau.com/wordpress/2007/12/internal-software-development-isnt-that-bad/ Software engineering and anthropology, annectodes, and more. Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:11:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Vincent http://blog.lphuberdeau.com/wordpress/2007/12/internal-software-development-isnt-that-bad/#comment-119 Vincent Wed, 02 Jan 2008 22:32:55 +0000 http://blog.lphuberdeau.com/wordpress/2007/12/11/internal-software-development-isnt-that-bad/#comment-119 It's true that internal development can be thrilling. I work in a company where I am about the only developer (with a CS degree) and I do everything from requirements to installers. I get the same feeling you are talking about, almost unlimited time-allocation and the freedom to choose the technology you want to use. Selling shrinkwrap software comes with a price. We sell a web application is a somewhat shrinkwrap format where most servers and services (LAMP stack) are installed automatically. The database is also set up automatically at set-up time. First, writing the installer was absolutely painful and since every deployment situation is different, we end up writing a lot of deployment documentation to accomodate excentric setups : the PHP application on a already very busy load-balanced IIS web server, the database server in a DMZ, sometimes thousands of km (and a few subnetworks) away from the web server. There is a satisfaction when I see that shiny 40MB installer that could run out of the box on a fresh Windows machine with no previous installation, but I'd say a lot of human ressources have been lost in the process. It’s true that internal development can be thrilling. I work in a company where I am about the only developer (with a CS degree) and I do everything from requirements to installers. I get the same feeling you are talking about, almost unlimited time-allocation and the freedom to choose the technology you want to use.

Selling shrinkwrap software comes with a price.

We sell a web application is a somewhat shrinkwrap format where most servers and services (LAMP stack) are installed automatically. The database is also set up automatically at set-up time.

First, writing the installer was absolutely painful and since every deployment situation is different, we end up writing a lot of deployment documentation to accomodate excentric setups : the PHP application on a already very busy load-balanced IIS web server, the database server in a DMZ, sometimes thousands of km (and a few subnetworks) away from the web server.

There is a satisfaction when I see that shiny 40MB installer that could run out of the box on a fresh Windows machine with no previous installation, but I’d say a lot of human ressources have been lost in the process.

]]>