3 ms·

im in a similar situation at the moment. My friend and I are taking a very low-tech approach. A few beers, pad of A4 paper and a couple of pens seems to do us v

by habs 17y ago

im in a similar situation at the moment. My friend and I are taking a very low-tech approach. A few beers, pad of A4 paper and a couple of pens seems to do us very well. We model UIs, entity-relationship's and use cases all free hand. I think it's a lot quicker than using something like visio, etc to mock-up ideas.

midnightmonster 17y ago
For organizing ideas, a very large pad of paper and a delta elite triangle grip ballpoint pen(1). If it gets to a lot of words, back to the computer I go. (1)I know the pen is over-specified, but I find writing with most pens/pencils so unpleasant that I even type and print single envelopes to avoid it. The delta (that specific one, not any) makes writing tolerable for me--I carry one in my pocket and use it even to sign receipts.
- tjr 17y ago
  Understandable. I almost exclusively use Papermate felt-tip pens, with occasional disposable fountain pens. These require less pressure to write with, and are thus easier on the wrist. Yeah, it's a little tiny minor thing, but it makes a difference...
tricky 17y ago
Instead of large sheets of flimsy paper, we are using 4x6 note cards, binder clips, and pencils. At first, the small cards seem like a problem, but they work well because they force you to break your ideas into meaningful chunks. Make a mistake? Chuck a card. Missed something? Insert a card. Need to reorganize? Lay them all out on a floor and shuffle as necessary. I'll never go back to notebooks or pads (or pens) again.
- IsaacL 17y ago
  I'm the same. I'm a bit of a noob with web dev, but I've recently started work on my second medium-sized web project. Since doing my first one, I've learned a bit about database normalisation, but in some ways it proved a stumbling block: I couldn't get started until I'd made some database tables, but now I knew I should design the database first, yet trying to get everything down in Notepad seemed too much trouble. When I tried writing each table out on a post-it-note, it was so much easier - even enjoyable - to come up with a normalised schema. I wonder if/when computer technology will advance to the point where it's as flexible and disposible as pen and paper?

by habs 17y ago

midnightmonster 17y ago

For organizing ideas, a very large pad of paper and a delta elite triangle grip ballpoint pen(1). If it gets to a lot of words, back to the computer I go. (1)I know the pen is over-specified, but I find writing with most pens/pencils so unpleasant that I even type and print single envelopes to avoid it. The delta (that specific one, not any) makes writing tolerable for me--I carry one in my pocket and use it even to sign receipts.

tjr 17y ago
Understandable. I almost exclusively use Papermate felt-tip pens, with occasional disposable fountain pens. These require less pressure to write with, and are thus easier on the wrist. Yeah, it's a little tiny minor thing, but it makes a difference...

tricky 17y ago

Instead of large sheets of flimsy paper, we are using 4x6 note cards, binder clips, and pencils. At first, the small cards seem like a problem, but they work well because they force you to break your ideas into meaningful chunks. Make a mistake? Chuck a card. Missed something? Insert a card. Need to reorganize? Lay them all out on a floor and shuffle as necessary. I'll never go back to notebooks or pads (or pens) again.

IsaacL 17y ago
I'm the same. I'm a bit of a noob with web dev, but I've recently started work on my second medium-sized web project. Since doing my first one, I've learned a bit about database normalisation, but in some ways it proved a stumbling block: I couldn't get started until I'd made some database tables, but now I knew I should design the database first, yet trying to get everything down in Notepad seemed too much trouble. When I tried writing each table out on a post-it-note, it was so much easier - even enjoyable - to come up with a normalised schema. I wonder if/when computer technology will advance to the point where it's as flexible and disposible as pen and paper?