CPP, CORBA, XMPP, SOA, UML, Agile... Whenever I've seen the developer community embrace a new set of tools (whether hw, sw, process, or a mix), I've then then t

CPP, CORBA, XMPP, SOA, UML, Agile... Whenever I've seen the developer community embrace a new set of tools (whether hw, sw, process, or a mix), I've then then the marketing departments and consultants follow. After a period of time the term for the new tools is muddied beyond recognition as people who don't truly understand it try to use it in sales pitches and class materials. In my experience the tool is rarely to blame (maybe I'll make an exception with CORBA, ymmv). The 'Agile movement' started with a bunch of developers who were good comparing notes on their processes. They came up with some points of commonality, and some points from one or more of the others they'd each like to adopt. These all revolved around the engineering version of the unofficial USMC motto "Semper Gumby", always flexible. Some call this the agile mindset (ycmv, i.e. your caps may vary). "If I have an organization with an Agile mindset, and really rock-solid product management, Agile processes and tools will evolve out of that. If you have the Agile mindset and an awesome connection with your customers and are solving their problems, things will evolve in the right way" - Todd Little, CEO Lean Kanban. Over and over, people like Kent Beck have said that no one set of tools will work for everyone. Teams need to continually adapt, continually learn, continually improve, and do what's needed to enable those things. I love the agile mindset, and the palette of tools I can choose from to paint a development process for a team that fits the way they work, their needs, and their customer needs. OTOH, I hate the "Agile this. Agile that. You got to get certified in them all" Pokemon-style consultant sales pitches, and feel sorry for those who get sucked in by them, or who have managers who get sucked in by them.