[Sigia-l] Tool standardization (read it if you are not bored by now)

[Andres Sulleiro]

> It's not a good justification because it makes money the 
> central issue. When
> you need to handle a billion records you'll chose a DB like 
> Oracle, *no
> matter* what kind of a license discount you get on, say, 
> FileMaker.

I have yet to run across a company that considers the tool I use, or any
employee, as mission critical as its data. To me that's just not a valid
comparison.


> Exactly. Since I don't know of any company that would not give volume
> discounts, *all* you are saying above is that the one that 
> provides the
> biggest discount should be standardized on

That's not what I'm saying, but feel free to paraphrase liberally. I'm
merely stating what I see happening in the large corporations that I
know of, not what "should be standardized on".


> Like I said, this is shortsighted in the extreme.

You seem surprised.


> 
> The point is *not* to standardize on *tools* but on output 
> *formats.* Don't
> standardize on FinalCutPro or Avid, standardize on NTSC/DV. Don't
> standardize on GoLive or FrontPage, standardize on HTML/CSS. Etc.

Exactly, but tell that to the purchasing department and they'll tell you
"Excellent! Now go do it with the tools we've got, and if it's not the
*best* tool for what you do, well sorry, live with it". And while I a
preference in the tools that I use, as long as the tool that's been
given to me *can* do the job, I will use it.


> With IAs, presumably, you are dealing with *professionals* 
> who can think for
> themselves. 

And how does this affect what tools get used? I can think for myself all
I want, but that won't change my company's policy regarding software. I
can't even convince my managers to upgrade my Visio program to the
latest version (mine is several years old), let alone buy me a different
software package.


> So standardizing on a tool, because of volume discounts and 
> support issues,
> *in this professional* context, is penny wise and pound foolish.

I guess I was never lucky enough to work in such "professional context"
where IAs can decide what software gets purchased.

End of story? Please? Probably not, huh?

--Andres.