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On Fri, 02 May 2003 22:08:57 -0400, Mitch Amiano <mamiano@nc.rr.com> wrote:
>> Be careful what you ask for, you might get it.
>
> AFAIK, XP isn't about giving user's what they want, it is about
> practicing software development honestly.
I came across an interesting article making a similar point.
http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/columns/article.php/2200011
Basically, the author argues that XP is misnamed, it should be called
"Xtremely Conservative Programming"
"1. Conservative Planning -- Plan only for the next release. Identify your
user's most critical need and get that done first. Involve them in the plan
so they own it and there are no surprises. Don't make a move without their
approval; don't plan for future releases that you don't yet understand...
2. Conservative Scope Management -- Build the smallest deliverable possible
that gives a useful feature to your user. Put it in production immediately.
3. Conservative vision -- Explain your design with a simple metaphor that
everyone understands. Make sure everyone understands and accepts it before
proceeding. If you can't illustrate your business process in terms your
users can easily understand there is something wrong; don't bother
starting... 4. Conservative testing -- Test everything, all the time. In
fact, write the automated test before you even write any code... 5.
Conservative coding -- Programmers aren't allowed to write any code without
another programmer partner watching over their shoulder..."
Substitute "schema, stylesheet, and script development" for "coding" if you
think this is not even potentially relevant to XML. The first three, at
least, could be usefully applied to XML specifications development, IMHO!
And at least 2, 3, and 4 can be applied by *users* of XML-related
specifications:
- Use the smallest subset of the spec that lets you provide useful features
- Make sure everyone understands at least that subset of the spec before
proceding
- Test everything with multiple implementations of the specs if you care
about portability or interoperability.
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