3 ms·

The Iceberg Secret, Revealed

2 points by bootload 17y ago

bootload 17y ago
"... You know how an iceberg is 90% underwater? Well, most software is like that too -- there's a pretty user interface that takes about 10% of the work, and then 90% of the programming work is under the covers. And if you take into account the fact that about half of your time is spent fixing bugs, the UI only takes 5% of the work. And if you limit yourself to the visual part of the UI, the pixels, what you would see in PowerPoint, now we're talking less than 1%. That's not the secret. The secret is that People Who Aren't Programmers Do Not Understand This. ..." An old article but important to understand.
diN0bot 17y ago
the assumptions that people make when looking at a product, programmers or not, are probably valid (anecdotal evidence from OP and myself). this is obviously a big issue, but how come people can't just talk about it. are there managers who really wouldn't listen to the state of things and plan accordingly? i have a sense that improving communication would solve a lot of the misunderstandings, especially if there are negative or counter productive attitudes present. everyone has assumptions. they effect more than this particular situation, too....if you let them.
- RiderOfGiraffes 17y ago
  > are there managers who really wouldn't listen to the state of things and plan accordingly? Listening to something someone says, and having your own perceptions, are completely different. I think you are being too rational. People are not rational. Programmers are always too optimistic about how much work there is to do and how much has been done, and managers always thing that what they see is all there is. I agree with the article, and I think simply talking about it doesn't solve the problem. You're right that communication is the key. What the article is proposing is to wrap that communication into the prototypes and demonstrations. Glossy, pixel-perfect demonstrations are, in their own way, lies.

2 points by bootload 17y ago

"... You know how an iceberg is 90% underwater? Well, most software is like that too -- there's a pretty user interface that takes about 10% of the work, and then 90% of the programming work is under the covers. And if you take into account the fact that about half of your time is spent fixing bugs, the UI only takes 5% of the work. And if you limit yourself to the visual part of the UI, the pixels, what you would see in PowerPoint, now we're talking less than 1%. That's not the secret. The secret is that People Who Aren't Programmers Do Not Understand This. ..." An old article but important to understand.

diN0bot 17y ago

the assumptions that people make when looking at a product, programmers or not, are probably valid (anecdotal evidence from OP and myself). this is obviously a big issue, but how come people can't just talk about it. are there managers who really wouldn't listen to the state of things and plan accordingly? i have a sense that improving communication would solve a lot of the misunderstandings, especially if there are negative or counter productive attitudes present. everyone has assumptions. they effect more than this particular situation, too....if you let them.

RiderOfGiraffes 17y ago
> are there managers who really wouldn't listen to the state of things and plan accordingly? Listening to something someone says, and having your own perceptions, are completely different. I think you are being too rational. People are not rational. Programmers are always too optimistic about how much work there is to do and how much has been done, and managers always thing that what they see is all there is. I agree with the article, and I think simply talking about it doesn't solve the problem. You're right that communication is the key. What the article is proposing is to wrap that communication into the prototypes and demonstrations. Glossy, pixel-perfect demonstrations are, in their own way, lies.