Thursday, July 9, 2020

What really annoys you about the graphical mapping arena?

What really annoys you about the graphical mapping arena?

I would suggest you read “annoys you” as (pisses you off).

I’ll use the nicer word of “ticks off”.

There’s a lot to like, even love about this exciting yet frustrating software development arena.

■    I love the fact that everyone keeps in touch and collaborates openly and freely.
■    I love the speed of development for all of my favourite products.
■    I love the developers because they listen to their users and keep in touch.

Now I want to be absolutely clear and state what I’ve just written above is absolute and utter bullshit. Yup; my loved up “I love” comments are indeed not true at all by any stretch of the imagination.

There is though a lot to just simply like about the arena.

■    There’s a plethora of software services to choose from.
■    They’re all, for the most part, rather good products. Very few are crap these days.
■    There’s a few who don’t pretend to listen to their users and actually engage with them.

You know the products for sure, you use some of them and they’ve become your go to products and services that make you the effective knowledge architect you’ve become.

They are indeed all pretty damn good products that (in reality) all do pretty much the same thing as their competitors. Emulating each others functions and capabilities seems to be the unashamed thing competitors do apparently these days. In reality there’s very little (That means there’s some) creativity and innovation coming from the developers at all.

That select few who actually listen to our BMW ranting (Bitching, Moaning, Whining)? You and I know who they are and have a good relationship with them. We say good things about their product and they in turn stick by us (yup that’s the game we play).

Software development is tough game to be involved in. Creating a product that has its beginnings as a thought process that seems to be grabbed from the so called ether; yet is actually a needed (read demanded) product brought forth in almost perfect timing and order.
I cite Thortspace and Goalscape as perfect examples of good timing and ordered development.

Some products are developed with the main purpose of engaging a user base and ultimately to be acquired by a larger developer or group of investors. There is a sense of disingenuousness about this process IMO; yet it’s completely understandable when developers who are people like you and I who get older and just must realize they need to experience some kind of well deserved payback for their good works. I say thank you to them too.

Equally some products are in it for the long haul; I have used both TheBrain and MindManager for donkeys years and am happy they have stayed true to their original calling of being the leaders in their fields and sticking around.

What ticks me off about this arena?
■    The lack of real, true and genuine group collaborations.
■    The unfortunate and challenging reality of ego based competitiveness
■    The wastefulness of many developers who’ve gained notoriety by blatant plagiarism

There’s more that ticks me of, annoys me and pisses me off about this arena; yet I am hopeful, being the eternal optimist that this arena may experience a coming together of tools, methods and mind-sets. Wouldn’t that be nice?

So; as Picard says, “Make it so”

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