[ZDP] Wysiwyg = bad... Tech issues is not the problem...

[Jim Salmons]

Hey Rik,

Rik Hoekstra wrote:
> But ...
>
> Ever tried to convince the people who make decisions in an
> organization of this point, in competition with flashy looking
> products with big names behind them (unmaintainable, but whose
> problem is that anyway :-[)?

	Yes. When you have more power than they do, you win. When they have the
power, they win.

	What you are describing is your frustration about organizational change
dynamics, not a technology selection issue. In other words, if you don't
have the position or allies to influence such a decision, YOU WILL NOT WIN
THE DAY WITH A TECHNOLOGICAL 'BETTER MOUSETRAP' ARGUMENT.

	If you don't have the power to win, you need leverage. This means quietly
selecting something important that you can do with ZOPE. Do it. Do it better
and differently than anyone in your organization could possibly do with
their expensive WYSIWYG tools.

	When you have a real working solution, not a weenie proof-of-concept, then
arrange for a very visible and public VALIDATION and LEGITIMIZATION
decision... this will make or break you, but you will at least be in the
position to win since you will be armed with a proven solution rather than a
'better mousetrap' argument.

	Win the change AFTER proving what incredible things you can do with ZOPE.
This uses your DISCRETION within your job rather than your POWER. It's the
only tactic that will win for you if you don't have the power to influence
the key decision-makers.

	If you don't have the flexibility to use your discretion to do something
exciting with ZOPE in your job, then you might be in the wrong job.

	This gets at one of the advantages of Open Source for the 'boundary level
subordinate change agent': you don't have to get a budget allocation to get
the technology in-house.

	But there is much more to being an effective subordinate change agent than
howling at the moon about better mousetraps. It may not be easy to win from
a seemingly powerless situation, but it can be done. The challenge is to
become a more effective change agent and not to get distracted thinking that
throwing more features into the 'mousetrap' will win the day.

	Like Nike says, 'Just do it,' then get permission...

	Best Regards,
	--Jim--