New Team System Stuff - 2004-11-10
DSL Tools Newsgroup
If you want to discuss the DSL tools, be sure to visit the DSL tools newsgroup, as Gareth Jones indicates in this post:
Using our newsgroup with an nntp client
We've set up a newsgroup for discussion of our DSL Tools - microsoft.private.whidbey.teamsystem.workshop.dsltools.
Forrester on MSF
Forrester has a Trends report (by Liz Barnett with Carl Zetie) on Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) that should be of interest to anyone that's taking a closer look at Visual Studio 2005 Team System:
Microsoft's Methodologies Are Coming: A Big Move Beyond Guidance And Best Practices
Microsoft's development tools and platforms are more sophisticated than ever before. Customers need help to take advantage of this sophistication. Drawing on the experiences of its own developers, consultants, and partners, Microsoft has developed a full life-cycle development methodology and tool set — Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) 4.0 — as part of the upcoming Microsoft Visual Studio 2005. Never before has Microsoft used the term "methodology." Now that it has taken this step, Microsoft will energize the methodology market by delivering a pragmatic, easy to use, and easy to customize environment. However, as is the case with many Microsoft developer resources, MSF 4.0 will be most useful to .NET developers and will provide resources specific to the Microsoft architecture. Companies using a mix of .NET, J2EE, and legacy platforms will need to customize MSF 4.0 to address enterprisewide needs. Microsoft is counting on systems integrator (SI) partners to deliver these extensions, and it is not likely to add cross-platform resources on its own.
Marco...Polo
Chuck Bryan has a post on his blog with an amusing analogy (via Andy Smith):
The Marco Polo design methodology
I've worked on projects where this game becomes the software writing methodology. The source of this problem is when coding begins prior to the project being properly scoped. The developer may be trying to ascertain what they are trying to build. “Marco.” As they move towards what they think the client wants (“Polo“), it turns out that either the client has moved on, or the client was never there and now, there are more players involved and it becomes quiet confusing.