Re: Anybody home?

[tdc@ehssun.lbl.gov (Ted M. de Castro)]

I didn't comment on software for rad program management since what we have 
here at LBL is home brew ---- sort of.

Actually we are now trying a program written at another institution that is 
being upscaled for us.

I have severe reservations as to how well this will work.

We have been down this road several times - and each time it is the same:

There is a program someone wrote and uses in a smallish environment.  It is 
written by the person using it and usually a radsafe person with SOME 
programming knowledge.

Of course this person thinks it is the greatest thing since sliced bread and 
shows it off.

Others are impressed.

BUT what was shown was a summary of what was working and long forgotten - or 
not even noticed - are the many many patches that always occurr during REAL 
use. 

Of course these patches are no big deal to the home institution since the 
author is the user and fixes it himself.

BUT when this non-programmer tries to upscale the program to be used by 
other than himself - people with their own style.  It usually gets to be a 
hopelessly patched mess of bits and pieces of code and eventually gets too 
cumbersome and or expensive to keep patching.

So I leave this message for others to consider - consider importation of 
such program VERY carefully.

BTW - I am NOT a programmer and do feel it is too bad it works this way 
since I feel the rad professionsal IS the best one to design - if not write 
- the program - since he KNOWS the business.  When the other method is tried 
- ie. to communicate the needs to a professional programmer - the process 
STILL fails since the end result is too much programmer - and too little rad 
professional.

The right person to do the job MUST be expert at BOTH and before relocating 
the program should study the methods of the new place it is to be used and 
then re-write to code from scratch.

This method works - but is quite expensive.

Ted de Castro
tdc@ehssun.lbl.gov