[ic] "High traffic list" - ramblings on Interchange

[Ron Phipps]

> From: Andreas Grau
> Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 2:15 AM
> To: interchange-users at icdevgroup.org
> Subject: Re: [ic] "High traffic list" - ramblings on Interchange
> 
> On Tue, 14 Mar 2006 09:58:55 +0100
> "Sebastian Kliess" <sebastian.kliess at mbs-medical.de> wrote:
> 
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: interchange-users-bounces at icdevgroup.org
> > > [mailto:interchange-users-bounces at icdevgroup.org] On Behalf
> > > Of Andreas Grau
> > > Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 9:04 AM
> > > To: interchange-users at icdevgroup.org
> > > Subject: [ic] "High traffic list" - ramblings on Interchange
> > >
> > >
> > > Next, IC is largely unsupported. If you look in the mailing
> > > list archives, there are tons of serious questions which
> > > remain without answer. The other IRC channel is mostly dead.
> > >
> >
> > we are running IC since 2 years without any downtime and we have
really
> no
> > open questions - the only open questions I know are silly
> 
> Downtime was not a point in my statement, as far as I remember. I
never
> questioned the quality of the software.

You did try to paint a picture that there are better systems out there,
and I'd challenge you to find a system that does what IC does, better.

> I have quickly checked the archives: You seem to have never posted a
> question, and never seem to have answered one. The former is good for
> you (you were never disappointed), the latter bad for the others -
> especially when considering that you must have a great know-how
> regarding IC.
> 
> >
> > > Then, IC is not really documented. Since when I follow IC,
> > > there has been zero visible progress on the docs.
> > >
> >
> > that is true - but reading the code helps!
> 
> I once learned that "yes, but ..." is not too positive. What's your
point
> ?
> 
> Before you can start reading the sources about the HOW, you need to
> know WHAT is possible.

ANYTHING is possible.  That's the great thing, you need IC to print
labels, its possible.  You need IC to interface with Quickbooks, its
possible.  How about with UPS Worldship or FedEx Ship Manager, all
possible.  And the reason for that is the system is open, all you have
to do is dive in.

> >
> > And did you ever read the documentation of systems like websphere or
> > vignette? They wrote tons of documentation and you need minimum 6
month
> to
> > be productive. Then you are happy with the IC core documentation.
> 
> I think this is irrelevant to my statement about missing or incomplete
> documentation. The fact that others have more or less doesn't change
my
> statement.

Again Andres, I challenge you to improve the documentation.  It's really
easy to talk about it, but it's another thing to do it.
 
> >
> > > Take an unsupportive mailing list plus zero docs, and you
> > > come to think that IC is actually a closed-shop solution.
> > >
> >
> > maybe the problem is that you compare IC with "shops", for us it is
a
> > professional application server (and I know Microsoft Commerce
Server,
> > Websphere, Vignette, Notes, ...)
> 
> Maybe the problem is that you read "shop" when I write "closed-shop".
> You may want to check wikipedia on this. Actually it means that you
> have to be a member of an organisation to participate or benefit.

If that's the definition of closed-shop, then IC is far from it.  I
wasn't a part of any organization back in the day when I picked IC for
our platform.  I was just a developer, looking for a solid open source
platform and IC (Minivend at the time, before there was an admin UI) was
the one that I chose.  I was also determined to learn the system inside
and out and I did that by asking smart questions (and some dumb ones!),
trying things out and helping out where I could.

> 
> Congratulations about your wide experience, btw.
> 
> 
> I truly don't want to start a flame war. But (sic!) what about my
other
> points ? The fact that you didn't comment them, does this mean you
> agree, or do consider them irrelevant ?
> 
> Andreas

I don't think anyone wants a flame war, it's just that we've seen posts
like yours before that bring up issues, but don't help with the
solution.

-Ron