Lovin’ St. Louis

Doing things right…

I'm in St. Louis tonight, on my own eating dinner. I stop at a place called Carrabba's Italian Grill to see what they've got. I walk into the joint and it's got a nice ambiance, the lights are comfortable, and I find a place to sit. I ask what's good and the guy tells me about the Sirloin Marsala, a specialty of the house, so I order it and the salad. Now the salad has an Italian dressing that they apparently make fresh, and it sorta set's the scene for a great experience at dinner. Wow, is all I can say.

A great experience. Dinner out at a decent place with great food and super prices. I feel like I'm getting value. It is the kind of thing that makes me want to go back, to savor and experience the good feeling of having chosen well.

I know it might be a stretch, but this is the kind of experience I can relate to when I use a well designed application. You know the kind of stuff I'm talking about, where the interface just makes sense, and it's easier to find what I'm looking for. The type of system that seems to anticipate my needs and makes it easy to do my job. Software like Orcas, which includes so many great features like javascript intellisense and XAML editors, and debug facilities that once you use them you can't remember not having them.

I like my job. I get to travel and see the world. Occasionally you stumble on greatness, and I am in the fortunate position of getting to share what I've found. If you're ever in St. Louis, you have to check out Carrabba's. And if you're developing software, take a serious look at these new tools. They can make your life soooooo good…