Tag Archives: build vs buy

Another perspective on small software

Dev, Hacks, Incentives, Software, , , , ,

My work writes big SAAS tools. These are tools that almost make no sense for one business to write to the highest levels of quality unless they are going to sell them.

The other end of software is the business of solving specific problems for specific people – and that’s the part that I really like. My part of the big SAAS business tends to be very focused on people trying to solve problems.

When I write about the pitfalls of the Ops Developer, the other side of that is that Ops Developers should absolutely be empowered to solve problems!

I love the perspective of this page about Home Cooked Software and Barefoot Developers. All the tools and practices are fundamentally about helping people solve the problems they care about and helping them find more interesting problems to work on.

Pitfalls of the Ops Developer

Dev, Economics, Incentives, , , , ,

This is another post my work asked me to opine on. I’m a big fan of developers that aren’t focused totally on making software – folks who make their own tools to solve their problems. However, it’s definitely possible to get yourself into a real pickle where you can build yourself into a corner you don’t have the time and skills to get yourself out of.

Pitfalls of the Ops Developer is about how to recognize when your group wants to transition from home-grown solutions to something more standard. It’s HARD to know and it’s hard to anticipate when you are about to hit one of those inflection points. As always, there’s a ton left out, but I love hearing from folks about their stories around the topic. I was just talking to a client in London and they brought this one up as being helpful and describing exactly the place where they are right now. Soooo… I thought I’d share it with you!