If only every boy could own this dart set.

Is the point of software development to create clean, aesthetically beautiful code containing clever implementations to business problems or is the point to deliver working software? If you know anything about me then you probably already know what I am going to say, but, for those who are new, I will continue. I personally think the point is to deliver software. Everything else is how we do our job (well, except the clever part).

One problem with universities these days is that they teach people how to create programs. They do not teach students how to create software. When creating software, programming is probably the task that you do the least of. At least programming as it is taught in school. Developing software is about creating a solution that meets the user’s needs and solves their pain points. It is not about the cool heuristic you developed. No one cares about that stuff. They care about getting their work down and whether your software will help or hinder that goal. As such, you spend more time testing code, modifying old code, gathering and understanding business requirements, talking to other developers as opposed to sitting there and just churning out code.

Creating clean code that is easy to maintain and extend is how we go about reaching the goal of delivering working software; it is not the goal itself. I think this is the biggest mistake many programmers make. They mistake the process with the goal. And I agree with Dan and Liz that it is a pitfall for people signing the manifesto.

Now, don’t get me wrong, clean, maintainable code is important for the life of the software that is being delivered and your sanity as a developer. I am currently working on an application that was created by programmers, not software developers, and we are having to rip parts out and rework other parts in order to increase the application’s lifespan. So clean code is important and the goals of the craftsmanship movement are important, but they are the tools, not the product.

This is like a group of Doctors getting together and signing a manifesto for sterilizing their scalpels. Yes, it is important, and at one point in time, it was very much needed. But sterilizing tools was never the end goal, keeping their patients healthy and alive was the point and sterilization was only a means to that end.

If your goal is delivering working software then you only have time to code until it is good enough and test until it is good enough. There is no time to be clever or to make it perfect (there is no such thing anyway). Create the initial code using things like the SOLID principles and TDD, but in the end, if you haven’t delivered software to your client and stakeholders then you are not doing your job and you have missed the point.

There are only two problems with it, one, it isn’t available yet and two, when it is available it will be $895USD.

Initially, I wasn’t sure what to do so I phoned their help line, no luck, the offices were closed. This was a Saturday, so I had to wait till Monday. I checked through the forums and found some hope; some people had moved from Windows to Macs and the company had allowed them to download OS X versions for free.

Finally, I stumbled across a technical help forum where I could post my problem. By Monday morning, one of their reps had posted a link where I could download the Mac version. Thanks guys.

In addition to being very helpful, e-on offers an amazing way of moving through their software. At the bottom they have Vue Easel. I don’t recommend it as it has to many limitations. Next in line is Vue Esprit. I purchased Easel while it was on sale for $49.00 and quickly found its limitations. I was then able to sidegrade to Esprit for $99.00, the purchase price is $199. So I was able to save money.

The next product in line is Vue Pro Studio, priced at $399. However, if you can’t afford 400 dollars, you can purchase Esprit and slowly upgrade. Esprit’s base functionality can be expanded through the use of 5 add-on modules. Once you have all the modules, you have Pro Studio. Now upgrading via the modules is more expensive then a straight sidegrade, but it does allow you to do it over time.

Once you have Pro Studio, the jump to their Professional level software, Vue Infinite, is a mere sidegrade of $299 ($795 regular price). In the end, you probably end up spending more, but it does allow for a nice upgrade path over time. Also, the company has a habit of putting their software on sale on a regular basis, making it even easier to break into the world of 3d animation. A field that is notoriously expensive.

Imagine if more companies offered this kind of flexibility with their products. It would probably cut down on the amount of warez and illegal downloading of software that goes on because people could afford it by buying the lower end products and then slowly working their way up as they learned the application.