[OKC JUG] temptations

[Ivan Zhidov]

There was a good post regarding one contractor's attempt at creating his 
own startup from ground up.
http://www.teabuzzed.com/2009/08/the-number-one-reason-my-startup-failed/

It's a good read in itself but he verbalized something that has been on 
my mind for awhile.

"/So the number one reason my startup failed was:/ I was distracted by a 
cool and shiny feature that didn’t solve anyone’s problem. The shinier 
and more tempting features of any software program should be regarded 
with a high level of suspicion. There may be a reason some things are so 
shiny and alluring. Traps often have this quality. My advice to anyone 
creating a solution is to march straight towards your initial goal, as 
long as the goal really does address a true need then that’s what you 
should focus on."

I put together a lot of 24x7 99.999% SLA systems and conservative 
approach to technology always pays off. I see there's a constant trend 
in the industry to jump on new 'silver bullet' which will 'solve 
everything' yet it will always lead to new unforeseen issues so unless 
you enjoy getting 3 AM calls be conservative about what you put into 
production or what somebody tries to sell you on from inside or outside 
of your organization as you may be the one left holding the bag. Granted 
there's room for innovation but as the above mentioned article says make 
sure it actually solves the problem and not just a shiny thing somebody 
wants to put on their resume.

Ivan