soft-eng@MITRE.ARPA (Alok Nigam) (08/27/88)
Soft-Eng Digest Fri, 26 Aug 88 V: Issue 28
Today's Topics:
Answer your own phone
Any recommendations for AutoTester by Software Recording Corp.?
Marketing software (2 msgs)
Saber-C Programming Environment
Shh, I'm working
using (ugh! yetch!) assembler
Work for Hire contracts (2 msgs)
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Date: 21 Aug 88 21:57:01 GMT
From: mcvax!enea!sommar@uunet.uu.net (Erland Sommarskog)
Subject: Answer your own phone
>> This also means that there is someone to take the telephone, if
>> you leave your place for a while.
>
>There is no reason why an office mate should have to answer the other
>phone. There are several much better solutions: forward phone to
>secretary, disable phone entirely and USE AN ANSWERING MACHINE.
Forwarding phone to secretary is a good idea if I go away for a longer
time like a couple of hours. But if I just go to the toilet or to the
kitchen to make some tea? Or go to someone other's room to ask a question?
I don't find it too much work to answer other people's phone.
It takes such a little time to take a message, and I do two people
a favour.
If your are frequently asked-for person - I am not - it is good
to have a person searcher (or whatever they call that in English)
so you know when your phone is ringing and you can answer in any
phone.
Answering machines are thankfully not very common at work in Sweden.
I find it disturbing enough with people who have it at home. Answering
machines are a disease in many cases.
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Date: 24 Aug 88 20:27:12 GMT
From: att!cbnews!lvc@bloom-beacon.mit.edu (Lawrence V. Cipriani)
Subject: Any recommendations for AutoTester by Software Recording Corp.?
I recently attended a presentation on a test tool to help automate
software testing. The company is called "Software Recording
Corporation". The tool they demonstrated is called AutoTester.
I am writing to get comments on this tool from AutoTester users.
General comments about SRC from anyone are also welcome. How happy
are you with the program and the support you receive? Do you have
any special problems using it in a UNIX(tm) environment? How large
are the productivity gains you experienced? What are its main strengths
and weaknesses?
The productivity gains cited in the presentation were extremely large.
For example, one AutoTester customer went from 50 full time testers,
who were always behind schedule, to 2. Now they regression test their
software every Friday whether it needs it or not!
They mentioned Hewlett-Packard has a corporate license for AutoTester.
Anyone from HP care to comment?
If you are interested in AutoTester you can reach SRC at:
Software Recording Corporation
6060 N. Central Expressway, Suite 122
Dallas, Texas 75206
(214) 368-1196
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Date: 23 Aug 88 21:54:08 GMT
From: ucsdhub!sdsu!roetzhei@ucsd.edu (William Roetzheim)
Subject: Marketing software
I have written an IBM-PC based project management program specifically
designed to manage software development projects. The program implements
the theories described in my book "Structured Computer Project Management"
(Prentice-Hall, 1988). The program is significantly different (fact) and
better (opinion) than existing project management software, and includes
features such as financial modeling of the project (predicted cash flow,
return on investment, etc.), risk analysis and modeling, software specific
cost estimating and design to cost, etc. I am satisfied that the software
itself and the user manual to go with it are both well written.
Now my problem. Everyone tells me that to market this software will
require something like $500,000 up front for publicity. I don't have this
kind of money and don't have a line of venture capitalists beating a
path to my door. Isn't it possible to bootstrap myself. By this I mean,
get some free publicity, sell some software, use the procedes to pay for
some more publicity to sell more software to . . .? Has anyone out there
had any luck doing this? Any suggestions? Any ideas how to get free
publicity (alright, I suppose this posting could be called free
publicity 8-) 8-) ). Should I use part of my very limited personal
resources to send copies of the software to columnists/magazines who are
likely to simply throw it away? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
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Date: 24 Aug 88 14:18:40 GMT
From: mailrus!uflorida!haven!decuac!jetson!john@ohio-state.arpa (John Owens)
Subject: Marketing software
> Isn't it possible to bootstrap myself. By this I mean,
> get some free publicity, sell some software, use the procedes to pay for
> some more publicity to sell more software to . . .?
You could try the shareware approach; it's certainly been successful
enough for ARC and PK to have a lawsuit over it!
Put versions of your software in appropriate public places (BBSes,
national BBS-like systems, etc.) Make it obvious when the program is
run that this is an unregistered copy, and to get a "real" copy,
guaranteed to be the newest version, plus a wonderful-looking typeset
manual (it is typeset, or at least nicely laser-printer in
proportional fonts, isn't it), send $xx (or even $xxx) to you.
You could also take the similar approach of posting limited-capability
"demo" versions to the same places, but this is more often frowned on,
and tends to generate a negative public image.
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Date: 23 Aug 88 01:56:42 GMT
From: island!rich@uunet.uu.net (Rich Fanning )
Subject: Saber-C Programming Environment
I am collecting information from anyone who has worked with the Saber-C
Integrated Programming Environment from Saber Software of Cambridge, MA.
This product is an interpreter-based programming environment for C which
allows incremental linking.
Specifically, I am interested in finding the following:
1) Overall quality and reliability of the product and the company support.
2) Memory and CPU needed to run this product successfully (Suns, specifically.)
3) Increases in programmer productivity.
Responses can be sent via e-mail; if there is sufficient information I will
summarize. Thanks in advance.
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Date: 23 Aug 88 19:27:27 GMT
From: necntc!dandelion!ulowell!cg-atla!lamere@ames.arpa (Paul Lamere)
Subject: Shh, I'm working
>Relevant to the ongoing discussions of cubicles, quiet and other office and
>environment factors important to software engineering:
>
>Tom DeMarco & Tim Lister have a book out called PEOPLEWARE: PRODUCTIVE
>PROJECTS AND TEAMS.
I strongly agree, this is the definitive work on how to arrange
furniture on a software project. In addition to workspace
management, DeMarco talks about many other non-technical things
that can make or break a software project.
High points are:
o The importance of a focus on Quality vs. a focus on
schedules
o Techniques and benefits of team building
o Methods of motivation
This book is the best thing I've read on software project
management since "The Mythical Man Month". This really is a
book to sneak into your managers office.
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Date: 23 Aug 88 16:17:59 GMT
From: cs.utexas.edu!sm.unisys.com!aero!venera.isi.edu!raveling@ohio-state.arpa (Paul Raveling)
Subject: using (ugh! yetch!) assembler
>...Shuttle onboard software for the four AP-101 computers (not the backup
>machine), and have been for the life of the project. The shuttle code
>is written on a mainframe computer in HAL/S and machine code ...
I had an impression, but don't recall with certainty, that
the backup computer's software was assembly language. This
impression was from a software engineer who worked on it and
moved from Rockwell to my group at FutureData late in 1980.
Another avionics example is the B1-B Central Air Data Computer,
which was about 50% assembly language, 50% PLM/86 when I
worked on it. This, along with all the other avionics software
I've seen, needed hand-optimized assembly code to meet its
real time requirements.
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Date: 21 Aug 88 14:20:32 GMT
From: mcvax!cernvax!hjm@uunet.uu.net (hjm)
Subject: Work for Hire contracts
>The ethics involved still have to be considered. Company A paid for the
>development of some tool or product. Shouldn't that company receive
>compensation if that tool can be reused? Shouldn't company B have to pay
>to receive the benefits of that tool?
The issue is clouded yet further by other important points. Software can be
designed to do the required job, or it can be designed to do the job and a few
other jobs too; reusable software. If the programmer is not constrained to
write reusable software and puts in more effort in order to make the SW
reusable, who "owns" that extra effort? Does company A? Or is it the
property of the programmer who chose to put in the effort? The whole thing it
a can of worms, and I'm glad that I'm not a contract programmer!
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Date: 22 Aug 88 12:14:51
From: John_Price@mbs.umich.edu
Subject: Work for Hire contracts
Question: What about non-company time on company equipment?
>.. an employee developed a product in his spare time on company equipment.
>The court ruled that since the company had not planned the product, nor was
>it impacted by the use of its equipment, that the company had no right to
>the product.
I know of someone who developed a popular product on his own time,
on equipment a university loaned him for his personal use at home.
The university claims rights to 50% of all earnings.
Although there was no explicit contract signed, the university
claims there is an implicit aggreement that by accepting a job
for the university, you agree to all their standard practices,
as determined by several hundred pages of legalese.
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End of Soft-Eng Digest
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