Aldenta: Web Nourishment

(Originally uploaded by sweetsexything)

One of the problems I’ve seen over the years, in corporations where I’ve worked and as a business owner, is the misconception that a builder (a developer in this case) can quote a project without the blueprints. I often times receive a request for a quote (10 pages long) and it says something like this:

We want a dynamic website with a unique design and easy to follow navigation that we can update ourselves.

That’s basically the equivalent of going to a car dealership and asking “how much is a car with wheels and doors?” Until you tell them the make, model, and all of the features you want they can’t give you a real price.

The Problem
The problem with this process is that the client and the developer both have expectations and a vision for the project but you’re not talking apples-to-apples. Sure, the developer can give a quote based on vague information but everyone loses during the process. The client loses because their expectations aren’t going to be met. The developer loses since they can’t possibly give a realistic quote. What do you do when you start working and the client expects the Ferrari (which they all do)? Both parties clash when they aren’t on the same page.

The Solution
Hire an architect. When I get a vague request for a quote I tell the client it will take a few hours of billable time and we’ll make a blueprint together. There is no reason for me to give a vague quote on a vague request. I’ll be quoting the Ferrari just to cover every possibility, and the client can’t afford the Ferrari. No one expects an architect to build a blueprint for free and it should be the same with a developer. Once the client has the blueprint they can send it out for quoting and will get apple-to-apple quotes back instead of a fruit basket.

No one is to blame for this misconception since the idea of web development is new and mysterious to most people. However, I challenge all developers to change things and educate the clients that come asking for help. They’ll appreciate the education, respect the architect idea, save money, save time, and you’ll prevent lots of future headaches.

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While actually on a flight, I came across an interesting New York Times article discussing US Airways bid to acquire Delta. Now, I’m interested in this possible acquisition due to all of my travels but more so due to the charts they provided.

As you probably noticed, US Airways and Delta rank pretty high in customer complaints, which doesn’t bode well for customers if a merger does take place. But, more importantly, take a look at Southwest. They are #2 in total passengers compared to the other major U.S. airlines and they only have a fraction of the complaints!

So how has Southwest Airlines enjoyed 33 straight profitable years and done what no other U.S. airline seems to be able to do? I think Jason Fried summarizes it best:

Simple fares (no secrets, one-way fares aren’t more expensive that round trip fares, fewer fees), simple planes (they only fly 737s — every SW pilot or flight attendant can work any flight), simple seating assignments (they don’t have any), simple meals (they don’t have any), simple friendliness (shiny happy people), less big airport hassles (serving the unserved at smaller, simpler airports), dead simple rewards program (based on # of flights, not miles), simpler fuel costs (they buy futures to lock in prices), etc.

I hope you’ll think long and hard the next time you want to make your web application, business, or product “bigger and better” because simplicity does pay.

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If you’ve not heard about Net Neutrality please listen to the most recent and extremely informative Conversation with Andy Coon (about 25 minutes long). Everyone needs to know how important the issue of Net Neutrality is and how Congress is trying to push a law that would give telephone and cable companies the ability to decide what we see on the Internet. Those of you who made it to the Linking Thoughts presentation will appreciate the importance of this on a whole new level. You’re not going to hear about this on the news because they are the ones who would benefit from this!

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I recently read a great article by Sam Stephenson of 37signals where he shows some of the difficulties Microsoft creates for developers (and all users). He’s recorded 2 screencasts that perfectly portray what it’s like working on Windows versus working on a Mac. Check out his installation of a script debugger on Windows Visa and then on Mac OS X. I showed both of these to my family to, once again, explain that it’s not their fault - users are not stupid but most software is.

David Heinemeier Hansson really says it well in the Apple video promo that he and Jason Fried star in. They talk about the joys of owning a Mac and how it’s changed the way they work. Having a Mac definitely makes my development work more pleasant.

On a final note, I have to send a big congrats to my brother who is, as of today, the newest convert to the developer community (and I’m jealous that he has a MacBook Pro and I’m still on my PowerBook). You can see how much brighter the screen is on the new models.

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As an Earthlink subscriber I noticed something odd about a month ago. Instead of my normal browser error when I entered a website that doesn’t exist I got redirected to this:

You’ve got to see the page to believe it - advertisements and all. Isn’t this too close to adware or spam? I didn’t ask for this information and I have no way to opt-out of this service but they’d like me to “try the related content suggestions and paid advertisements below.” How kind of them…

This has stirred up quite a bit of controversy.

Update: There is a way to manually configure your computer to use different DNS servers. However, this really isn’t for the common user and sure would add hassle for me as I’d have to change the settings every time I use my laptop somewhere else.

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