[Sigia-l] what are best practices (was OT: Library Thing)

[Alexander Johannesen]

On 10/5/05, Eric Scheid <eric.scheid at ironclad.net.au> wrote:
> I'm in Australia. Do you think the fact that two Australians just won a
> Nobel Prize hasn't been in the news every chance all damn day?

Funny; I'm in Australia too, and the first time I heard this was when
Ziya mentioned it.

> Of course there was scepticism to their new theory, because that's how
> science works. If you have a theory which contradicts what has so far been
> supported by evidence, the onus is on you to prove the theory. Do
> experiments.

I think dragging scientific evidence and theories into the discussion
about "best practices" was a bad move; it distorts and take away focus
on what I reckon is a perfectly valid critisism of the notion of "best
practices". Since we're all in such a huff about it, let's then define
it. Here's mine ;

Best practices : recomendations of practices by people who do things
closer to the grapevine than their own thinking, often followed
blindly and without analysis.

Often best practices is waved as "the way to do things", often - but
not always! - without regard to if this *really* is the best thing to
do. Some people here like to think that laws are "best practices", but
to that I'd say Rubbish with a big R. Laws are rules and you can go to
jail if violating them, with huge personal and financial
repercussions. Best practices is a notion, some flakey guidelines,
that you have a *choice* about. And, as I think Ziya says, that choice
you can act upon if you *really* care, or *really* have a brain, or
*really* have some guts, or *really* want to make things better.

Which takes us back to "design".

> Enough though. This thread has gone more than off track.

Slightly off-track, but no more than to point to the fact that "best
practices" is a flakey subject, which - at least to me - is a darn
huge subject of great importance! Blind following of "best practices"
is the bane of satan, and something that continues to wreak havoc
wherever it goes. It must be stopped.


Alex
--
"Ultimately, all things are known because you want to believe you know."
                                                         - Frank Herbert
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