Re: Need help for Engineering Management project

["Bill Kearney" <wkearney-99@hot-mail-com>]

> >That's like asking deaf people to make musical instruments.
>
> Or worse yet, asking a deaf person to compose some of the world's greatest
> symphonies for orchestras with numerous musical instruments. ;)

Having played many musical instruments in my life I'm well aware of the
difference between COMPOSERS and someone constructing an instrument.  Sure,
there's all manner of exceptions to every rule, but the rough analogy was
all I was after.  The comparison being that someone not practicing nor even
equipped TO practice a given skill makes it unlikely the results of their
labors would appeal to someone that did.  Witness the general lack of
usability in a great many software products, often the result of the
programmers or layers of manglement being entirely detached and not actually
engaging in the tasks the software attempts to aid.

Now, would that make it any more or less likely for a college student to
craft an acceptable solution?  Perhaps, given the recent nature of their
participation in a family household (a reasonable assumption) one might
expect them to have a good feel for what would help.  But then again given
their participation wasn't as a head of household they might not have the
'bigger picture' of actual household processess and requirements.  They
might THINK they do (weren't we all that smart?) but they've had little or
no practice actually running one.  Dorms, apartments and shared living
quarters really don't quite cut it.

But by the time you've got enough experience running said household you know
better than to fuck it up with a computer.

That said, it'd sure be handy to have a digital concierge of one's own.  One
not beholden to various advertising or other service industries bent on
pimping something.  But then you've got the maintenance issues of who's
"responsible" for this gadget.  It's definitely a catch-22, by the time you
make something broad enough in scope it becomes an irresistable target for a
"revenue stream".  Or it's complicated enough that it can't be left in the
hands of the homeowner without a fair bit of maintenance.  So selling
something to them outright, or that runs on their own gear is a headache and
presents unacceptable support costs.  But no one in their right mind would
trust some 3rd party to effectively run such a service without abuse risks.
That and the per-month fees most households shoulder now make it unlikely
they'd put up with yet another one.

So it's not that it's a bad idea.  Just one difficult to actually implement
with anything remotely resembling profitability, let alone broad usability.

-Bill Kearney