I started a new job last month, which is why I haven't blogged in a while. I enjoyed working at a small Java consulting company, but the margins are too small, and life is a little too uncertain for me.
I'll never forget two quotes from the most recent project I worked on:
Early on in the project, a new developer was reporting on his progress of creating XML config files for Jasper reports. He was late, and was asked why. We were a little stunned with his reason:
Well, XML is very verbose. Every time you start a tag, you have to end it.
The second quote came towards the end of the project when we first entered User Acceptance Testing. They flew 20 users in from across the country to test usability of the application. The application had some performance problems with 20 simultaneous users and the manager said to me:
Look, this isn't good. The first time we get some load on the application and it can't keep up.
Well, it wasn't a shock to me or the other contractor at all. Software that is untested should be expected to fail. This client even had licensed copies of LoadRunner and we had asked to get a day or two to setup regression tests, including performance tests without luck. But this has taught me to stick to my guns, document my concerns and cover my butt more.
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