Re: More about "trident" vs. "tridant"

Subject: Re: More about "trident" vs. "tridant"
From: eilrh -at- EXCHANGE -dot- WCC -dot- LUCENT -dot- COM
Date: Thu, 18 Jul 1996 14:56:00 -0400

Ben Kovitz:
>wonder if one has to be a professional writer or linguist to find it
>convincing.

Tim Altom:
It sounds as though we have two dilemmas here: organizational and
linguistic. The linguistic one is gentlemanly and quiet and we've had
fun
with it. The organizational one, though, seems more painful. The bosses
want
one spelling, while you want another. We've been over this point before
in
other circumstances, but it boils down to a simple practical question:
Will
you do it the boss's way, or your way? Which extends to the question:
Will
you grit your teeth, or start sending resumes?

***
This is probably the question to ask when it is your management
hindering you, but in this case, it is the client. I think Ben was
pretty clear about that.

This, of course, changes the dynamics completely. (And, BTW, Ben's boss
is probably one of the best bosses a TW could have. He has a background
in TW, he treats his employees well, and he has a really cute bum--which
is an important quality in a boss, especially if he's always coming in
and out of your office.)
***
However, I'm sure I'm not alone when I cry out in anguish, because the
heart
of the problem is this:
Who's the goddamn writer here, anyway?!?

Why is management, which presumably has better things to do, interfering
in
a spelling matter? Do they tell developers what code to write? I'd bet
not,
although I've seen that done, too. But the basic point remains that few
of
us, perhaps because we're from OJT programs and not formally trained,
are
willing to stand up and literally say "Look, I'll make this
determination.
I'll let you know." Spelling may be a futile thing to argue about, but
we
all know of many more issues that aren't so innocuous. At what point
should
we, all of us, stand up together and say "We're the pros here, and we'll
tell YOU, damnit!" Or words to that effect. And if we're all too unsure
of
ourselves to do it, what will give us the assurance?
***
Again, it is the CLIENT in this case who's interfering; and I'm sure
that they're interfering in the software development as well.

Granted, it's awful to have to do something that you know is wrong, and
I'm sure that Ben is going to do his best to talk the client out of it;
but one of the most valuable lessons I learned very early in my career
is that sometimes, you just have to let it go.

Sometimes, your work is going to have to be sloppy because of time
constraints, sometimes, someone who signs your paychecks is going to get
a wild hair and insist that you inform the users that their software
"makes extensive use of the function use native to modern computing" or
is "a cornucopia of functional richness" (both real-life examples).
Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. And yes, you need to take
into account how often you have to fight to do your job well.

I basically agree with you, Tim. But if you keep saying those things
about Ben's boss, I'm going to have to come over there and hit you with
my purse.

eilrh -at- ei -dot- lucent -dot- com

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