Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
the early 1960s, by giving “model numbers” to their cars on the basis of
the year of manufacture.
Software is released with version numbers. Manufacturers often force
customers to upgrade their software to the latest version if they want
continued support on their software. This software “replacement” strategy
allows manufacturers to make technology and functionality considerations
for a two- to three-year horizon, unlike “legacy” systems, which were
created with a ten- to fifteen-year timeframe. It has become customary to
give software patches, in the form of minor or major releases of the
product. This can be done in software because the costs of replacements
are low (in most software implementations — refer to Chapter 11 on
migration). We could compare this with the enormous costs involved in
cars being recalled for a seat-belt glitch or a tire problem.
Data Shelf Life
Related to BIO is the notion of data shelf life. One may be tempted to
buy data storage devices that advertise lifetime guarantee of the data, or
media that is guaranteed to last 25 years; but the reality is that it may not
be possible to find a suitable data reader for the media after ten years.
With falling hardware prices, and the ubiquitous use of the Internet and
e-mail, data volumes in large and small organizations alike are increasing.
Everyone seems to be dealing with terabytes of data now. In this situation,
where do we store our data, and for how long? Some of it is answered
by regulations and legislation that the industry follows. Beyond this, there
is a need to provide guidance to the IT managers by defining best practices
for the organization. Data should be kept for no longer than the desired
purpose for which it was created.
Movies versus Software
Ever sit through the entire length of a movie, through the long list of
credits at the end? Did you notice the granularity of the roles of the cast
and crew? Crew, camera crew on location; editors, assistant editors, and
continuity editors; different stunt coordinators for automobile wrecks and
people; grips and 2nd grips — the list is unending. Is there something to
learn from it and use in the software life cycle? We could do a better
division of tasks than, for example, a manager, a technical leader, fifteen
developers and six QA engineers.
Movies are announced three quarters (i.e., nine months) in advance.
In fact, quite often, the previews of a movie end with the actual
date
of
