Agile Renaissance: Recent Comments

Comment on Commenting on Agile and lean: Same or different?

organizacja imprez — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 16:28:02 GMT

Hello
Very interesting post i hope to see more such like this one

Regards,
Tommas

Comment on On the Semantic Distance between Input & Output, Problem Partitioning & Complexity

Norbert Winklareth — Wed, 23 May 2007 16:45:14 GMT

Dear Andreas Zwinkau,

Good observation, I will do so. However, it will not happen until mid-June and I will let you know when I do.

Thanks for stopping by, Norbert

Comment on On the Semantic Distance between Input & Output, Problem Partitioning & Complexity

beza1e1 — Wed, 23 May 2007 15:54:58 GMT

You should make some graphs to your descriptions that would make it much easier to understand.

Comment on On Semantic Distance and Computer Languages

Norbert Winklareth — Wed, 09 May 2007 08:48:42 GMT

Andreas,

It is impossible to always use the language whose Semantic Execution model is the closest to the Problem-Domain/Problem/Solution. This is true even when you are not in a "boss-given language" context. If there is an implementation there is always a Semantic Distance, otherwise you are doing pure math or reasoning and the developed solution is sufficient. Given this, then the advice to learn as many different languages as you can is valid advice how to improve the quality of your implementations. By the way, you can use a just-in-time learning by classifying the problem/solution type and then looking at which language best matches this classified type.

The alternative strategy you offer in your second paragraph is one that I have used by the use of DSLs or by writing my friend Roy Amodeo's favorite type of program: one which writes a program that solves the problem. I also see that my attempt at humour in the summary paragraph clouds my point that the semantic distance is always there and there are a number of effective ways to overcome it.

Thanks for your comments.
Norbert

Comment on On Semantic Distance and Computer Languages

Andreas Krey — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 13:10:23 GMT

I agree that learning other languages has a profound effect on the performance in the boss-given language. But I think this still amounts to either greenspunning or being a human compiler, more often the latter.

And I do not think the conclusion is correct. In the ideal case you can just go and incorporate the idioms you want to use into your target language and close the semantic gap that way. Instead of being a human compiler you write the compiler, and the question is how much your target language supports you in doing that.

Comment on Commenting on Agile and lean: Same or different?

Norbert Winklareth — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 12:33:52 GMT

Dave,

Thank you. You made some excellent points as well. You summation is correct: we both agree on the aims of Agile/Lean and we disagree on our interpretations of what we have read and experienced in doing Agile/Lean.

Thanks for continuing the dialog.

regards
Norbert

Comment on Commenting on Agile and lean: Same or different?

Dave Nicolette — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 16:54:00 GMT

You make some excellent points here. I was inspired to reiterate some statements I've made in the past in a new blog post.

I don't think we disagree on fundamentals. One statement in your post may be worth mentioning, though. The authors of the book on TPS you mentioned say the system doesn't put people secon. That's fine, but many managers say that while continuing to practice process-centric management techniques. This is why I say lean development respects people, but doesn't quite take the final step of letting them supercede "the process". We're seeing the same things but reaching different conclusions about that particular point.

It's my belief that there's a much larger market for lean development than for agile development. To us (practitioners) there's a difference between the two. To prospects, there isn't; all the marketing lit they read says "agile". Everything anyone is selling these days is labeled "agile". In that sense, then, lean is agile and agile is lean. Once we win an engagement, we need to apply a deeper level of professional analysis and judgment to the customer's situation, though.