Tom Rossen

Currently (as of 20021218) project lead on web development for a large insurer. RationalUnifiedProcess is just coming in here and I want to XPify it. This is the crucible of OptimisticProgramming (PageFormerlyKnownAsModerateProgramming).

Our project is going too well, and the rhythm of TestFirstDesign is in my blood. Now I'm looking at DICE postings for architects and I'm thinking - could I really do that anymore? It's upsetting - am I XP-ing myself out of any hope of future employment?

I'm trying to find a reference to a website that offers opensource software for tracking UserStories. I know I ran across it somewhere here, and I was sure I bookmarked it, but now I can't find it.

I have a todo marked "investigate XPlanner". Maybe that's it? http://xplanner.sf.net iirc -- mca

By George, I think you've got it! Thanks, Matthew!

I thought it had a name something like XProgrammer, but searching on that gets me nothing here in the Wiki or in Google. Anybody know what I'm talking about?

oh yeah, shoulda' put my comment here since tat was the clue -- mca

Found it, tried to set it up on my workstation at the client site, but I don't have admin rights, so I couldn't install MySql, which is required. We are getting a workstation for the team to use as a server in a couple of weeks, so I'll try again themn

Pages I started and/or like:

Pages I need to bookmark for work because I'm reading them from home:

I'm such a newbie to Wiki I don't know what to say here. OO architect, Java developer.

Well, you could say whereabouts you are, give your email address, maybe some links, your pet views, which planet you were born on, ask a question, ...

Okay. Chicago, rossentj@acm.org, uh ... links ... I'll think about that, JustaBody AdmiringXpFromAfar, born on ThirdRock?, how's that?

Welcome. If you haven't yet, check out NewUserPages and TourBusStop.

Is Justabody really needed? We already have JustaProgrammer, JustAnIdiot, JustaSoftwareEngineer, etc.

While I suspect that it makes more sense to attack a page on that page, I'll try to answer that here.''

JustaProgrammer is great, but it doesn't deal with the difference between being an employee and a temporary contractor - and believe me, that's a big difference.

JustAnIdiot starts with "JustA(n)", but that's about the only connection I can see.

JustaSoftwareEngineer is about professionalism, licensing, accountability, etc.

(I only recap all this because I wonder if you're just talking about the names of the pages rather than the content.)

Yes, mainly the name. JustaBody is better, or JustaContractor perhaps.

If you think the page doesn't belong, delete it: it's a Wiki country after all. -- TomRossen

I deleted JustAbody myself. Thanks for making me think about the name. -- tr

On Monday, 12/16/2002, I'm starting a contract as a team lead on a small web project at a big insurance company. The team consists primarily of COBOL programmers who've had a class in VisualAge (deja vu all over again - I had a similar situation a couple of years ago).

The company is moving toward RUP (RationalUnifiedProcess), but I'm moving toward XP. I noticed on the PlanningGame page that PeterMerel was in a similar situation (how long ago? - this is why I put the date here: it's embarrassing to jump into a Wiki ThreadMode conversation that turns out to have died years ago). I guess I'll put a question on his page.... -- tr

After a bunch of pages thrown to the Wiki wind and deleted by Anonymous ... uh ... Deletors, I hope I've stabilized on OptimisticProgramming. (The original page, from which I still hope to extract wikifiable signal, is at http://www.geocities.com/rossentj/consulting/AmericanModerateProgramming/AMPEmbryo.txt.)

I just realized this was a misapplication of a pattern: FowlerWritingMethod. -- tr

I wouldn't call the FowlerWritingMethod a pattern. -- BrentNewhall

I couldn't think of a word for UnitOfChaos?. -- tr

Hello Tom,

I am a wiki newbie as of Jan 4 2002, so take this info with a grain of salt! :-)

People like to see good ideas grown around here, they are not into a whole bunch of pages just being established. There are some boundaries for the wiki, 21k pages seems to be one. So pages need to be culled. And new pages need to be useful. I am not saying this for any reason about content, I just notice a newbie lovin the wiki and thought I would drop some words down!

A helpful hint at checking out new content to a page, instead of struggling looking through it for the new content. usually you can click on the date at the bottom of the page and it shows you the most recent changes. Happy wiki-ing! Best, MarkDilley

Mark - thanks for the thoughts. Having my pages deleted was educational - I eventually realized I had created a WalledGarden. Of course, if the deletors had explained that, I wouldn't have had such a negative reaction. Since they said practically nothing, I don't know if they had good reasons or were WikiButchers into DisagreeByDeleting. -- tr

Yea, I agree - when my pages got deleted, I was scrambling around to figure out why, there needs to be a BeNiceToNewbies? guide on the wiki. But then again trial by fire weeds people out. -- MarkDilley

This is what DeletedButWelcomeToWiki is intended to do. Unfortunately, the anonymous deletor did not use it when deleting your pages, which is actually something of a complement; based on the content s/he assumed that you were not a newbie. -- BrentNewhall

I like the positive spin you're putting on it, and I appreciate the apparent compliment, but I still would have liked some detailed criticism. -- tr

"Was mich nicht umbringt macht mich stärker." -- FriedrichNietzsche

Translation(German->English): "What doesn't kill me, makes me stronger." -- AnonymousDonor

Certainly applies here. I'm getting a stronger WikiSense? all the time. -- tr

Thanks to AnonymousDonor for the translation. I had meant to put this link - http://webcampus3.stthomas.edu/paschons/language_http/essays/Nietzsche.html - , which has the translation, on the FriedrichNietzsche page, but that one turned out to be on a sister site.

Hi Tom, I'm afraid I don't understand the page WardCunninghamsCommunityAssistant?. I put a note there. Care to have a look? Thanks! -- FalkBruegmann

Falk - it was pointless and deserved to die. HailWiki! -- tr

See WhoStartedWiki instead. -- AnonymousDonor [Falk?]

Thanks for moving that stuff about Ward. I cleaned it up and dropped it to the bottom of the page. -- tr

Tom, you say above that you want to XPify RUP. Have you seen dX, which is a RUPification of XP? http://www.objectmentor.com/resources/articles/RUPvsXP.pdf. -- JimLittle

Jim - thanks for the link. Is it really by Booch et al as indicate by the copyright in the footer? -- tr

Tom: Welcome, welcome, welcome! WikiSuccessCanInhibitNewWriters. Maybe you and wiki (I was going to say "we", but added an extra syllable to "wiki") can explore ways to overcome this. Wiki did this when someone complained about the newbie-unfriendliness of ExtremeProgrammingRoadmap; I added a 'welcome' paragraph, pointing to XpFaq and a new page called NewUserPages (which I started, and wiki refined). Soon after, wiki reorganized the WikiWikiWebFaq into multiple sections, greatly enhancing its usefulness. This IMHO was a very successful development for Wiki, and I like to think that it made Wiki much more accessible to new WikiReaders? (moreso than writers). Now we have an opportunity to do the same for WikiWriters, possibly.

Regardless, try not to be discouraged; almost all of us started off with a few stumbles. One of my half-successful projects was AdoptingXpPatternLanguage, which is a little bit of a WalledGarden, but hopefully it will smooth out over time. SunirShah usually recommends new users to read a lot (months, not hours) before they add new stuff. This is worth keeping in mind, but sometimes you just gotta contribute :-). Someone made a comment about 'growing' contributions rather than inserting them. There's a lot of hidden wisdom in that suggestion. Almost all of the best stuff on wiki was grown by the WikiCommunity. It is difficult sometimes to 'give up' ownership of your contributions, but the rewards are very fulfilling when a contribution grows to become more than you thought it would. It takes a lot of WikiHumility.

Also, if you're looking for ways of adopting XP-like processes, there's a tonne of info on it here (try using BackLinks, they are a very powerful search tool). Don't miss ExtremeUnifiedProcess, one of the reasons why PeterMerelKicksAss.

-- RobHarwood, fellow WikiZen

Rob - thanks for your post. I'm not at all discouraged. And recently, I've been getting those "fulfilling rewards" seeing people jump into pages I started and making positive contributions. I don't know if that's WikiHumility or WikiPride? - to see your "children" grow up and become part of the community.

I already knew PeterMerelKicksAss, but I didn't know about that EUP page - thanks. -- tr

Deleted "furtle" crapola - it was done to a turn.

Thanks Tom. DeleteWhenCooked! -- MatthewAstley

Yer welcome!

I'm still here somewhere. Gotta update OptimisticProgramming.

20030417 Our project is doing well, but we've fallen away from XP best practices. Still making the customer happy and delivering on time. More soon.

Is there a site map? A Start Page for Wiki? - Thanks, Rav

CategoryHomePage