Comments on: Top 5 signs you’ve lost control of your reusable VIs http://thinkinging.com/2008/07/11/top-5-signs-youve-lost-control-of-your-reusable-vis/ an unfiltered stream of data flow consciousness Thu, 4 Dec 2008 17:50:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Darryl Phillips http://thinkinging.com/2008/07/11/top-5-signs-youve-lost-control-of-your-reusable-vis/#comment-16167 Darryl Phillips Wed, 13 Aug 2008 09:03:20 +0000 http://thinkinging.com/2008/07/11/top-5-signs-youve-lost-control-of-your-reusable-vis/#comment-16167 Alas, the development work was done on a confidential contract for a particular client. However after completing the job, I initiated a 2nd-gen. effort from scratch for myself. After the 2nd gen stuff is up and running, I may cruise by and do a demo for you one of these days when I'm in SF. The timeframe is maybe a month or two. The work I do is customized for Analog Semi bench-test systems so it might not be appropriate for the industrial control guys but the reusability solution is unprecedented. The 2nd-gen version is going to be sweet. :-) Alas, the development work was done on a confidential contract for a particular client. However after completing the job, I initiated a 2nd-gen. effort from scratch for myself. After the 2nd gen stuff is up and running, I may cruise by and do a demo for you one of these days when I’m in SF. The timeframe is maybe a month or two.

The work I do is customized for Analog Semi bench-test systems so it might not be appropriate for the industrial control guys but the reusability solution is unprecedented. The 2nd-gen version is going to be sweet. :-)

]]> By: Jim Kring http://thinkinging.com/2008/07/11/top-5-signs-youve-lost-control-of-your-reusable-vis/#comment-15958 Jim Kring Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:06:02 +0000 http://thinkinging.com/2008/07/11/top-5-signs-youve-lost-control-of-your-reusable-vis/#comment-15958 Darryl: It's not nice to just tease us :) Can you share any of your ideas on methodologies for reusing VIs? Personally, I'd love to hear them. Darryl: It’s not nice to just tease us :) Can you share any of your ideas on methodologies for reusing VIs? Personally, I’d love to hear them.

]]> By: Darryl Phillips http://thinkinging.com/2008/07/11/top-5-signs-youve-lost-control-of-your-reusable-vis/#comment-15860 Darryl Phillips Tue, 12 Aug 2008 08:34:06 +0000 http://thinkinging.com/2008/07/11/top-5-signs-youve-lost-control-of-your-reusable-vis/#comment-15860 If you saw the way I do reusable VIs, you'd drop your coffee cup. Bwah ha ha ha! If you saw the way I do reusable VIs, you’d drop your coffee cup. Bwah ha ha ha!

]]> By: Ray Robichaud http://thinkinging.com/2008/07/11/top-5-signs-youve-lost-control-of-your-reusable-vis/#comment-13409 Ray Robichaud Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:47:38 +0000 http://thinkinging.com/2008/07/11/top-5-signs-youve-lost-control-of-your-reusable-vis/#comment-13409 Wow.. I've lived all 5 scenarios... :o( Plus I have the VI Package Manager... I've got to find the time and start using it.. RayR Wow.. I’ve lived all 5 scenarios… :o(

Plus I have the VI Package Manager… I’ve got to find the time and start using it..

RayR

]]> By: Jim Kring http://thinkinging.com/2008/07/11/top-5-signs-youve-lost-control-of-your-reusable-vis/#comment-12752 Jim Kring Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:21:57 +0000 http://thinkinging.com/2008/07/11/top-5-signs-youve-lost-control-of-your-reusable-vis/#comment-12752 Ton: I see your question really needing to be separated into two important questions: 1) How do teams ensure that all developers are using the same version of packages for a given project? 2) How do we inform team members that new versions of packages exist and what is different (hopefully better) about the new versions? For solving #1, we recommend that (for every project) users create a VI Package Configuration file and putting it in the project folder (and keep it under source code control). The VIPC file can optionally <i>include the actual package file</i> so that all project developers have a copy of the package to install. You'll note that this is a way of actually sharing packages with other developers. By applying the package configuration, you are adding the packages that are saved in the VIPC to VIPM's package list. For solving #2, you should probably rely on some form of publish and subscribe system. For example, subscribe to email or RSS notifications of new packages. This can be done with wiki's (as crelf described), mailing lists, etc. Now, we would certainly love to have some way to do this in VIPM and that might be something that we're working on ;) If you have ideas or questions about this, we encourage you to discuss them on the <a href="http://forums.jkisoft.com" rel="nofollow">JKI Software Forums</a> -- we're always listening and happy to hear your feedback. Ton: I see your question really needing to be separated into two important questions:

1) How do teams ensure that all developers are using the same version of packages for a given project?

2) How do we inform team members that new versions of packages exist and what is different (hopefully better) about the new versions?

For solving #1, we recommend that (for every project) users create a VI Package Configuration file and putting it in the project folder (and keep it under source code control). The VIPC file can optionally include the actual package file so that all project developers have a copy of the package to install. You’ll note that this is a way of actually sharing packages with other developers. By applying the package configuration, you are adding the packages that are saved in the VIPC to VIPM’s package list.

For solving #2, you should probably rely on some form of publish and subscribe system. For example, subscribe to email or RSS notifications of new packages. This can be done with wiki’s (as crelf described), mailing lists, etc. Now, we would certainly love to have some way to do this in VIPM and that might be something that we’re working on ;) If you have ideas or questions about this, we encourage you to discuss them on the JKI Software Forums — we’re always listening and happy to hear your feedback.

]]> By: crelf http://thinkinging.com/2008/07/11/top-5-signs-youve-lost-control-of-your-reusable-vis/#comment-12730 crelf Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:24:10 +0000 http://thinkinging.com/2008/07/11/top-5-signs-youve-lost-control-of-your-reusable-vis/#comment-12730 Ton: we have an internal wiki and forum that is updated with package changes, and our engineers have either an RSS feed to those or receive automatic email notifications when they are updated. The team also meets weekly where we dedicate 10 mins for a team members to show their recent additions (as well as their favorite OpenG components). Oh - and there's a big brass ship's bell in our HQ office that reuse submission sponsors peel when a package is released or updated :D Ton: we have an internal wiki and forum that is updated with package changes, and our engineers have either an RSS feed to those or receive automatic email notifications when they are updated. The team also meets weekly where we dedicate 10 mins for a team members to show their recent additions (as well as their favorite OpenG components).

Oh - and there’s a big brass ship’s bell in our HQ office that reuse submission sponsors peel when a package is released or updated :D

]]> By: Ton Plomp http://thinkinging.com/2008/07/11/top-5-signs-youve-lost-control-of-your-reusable-vis/#comment-12724 Ton Plomp Tue, 15 Jul 2008 05:29:44 +0000 http://thinkinging.com/2008/07/11/top-5-signs-youve-lost-control-of-your-reusable-vis/#comment-12724 Crelf: What efforts do you take to make sure all you programmers are up-to-date? Ton Crelf:

What efforts do you take to make sure all you programmers are up-to-date?

Ton

]]> By: crelf http://thinkinging.com/2008/07/11/top-5-signs-youve-lost-control-of-your-reusable-vis/#comment-12630 crelf Sun, 13 Jul 2008 00:21:49 +0000 http://thinkinging.com/2008/07/11/top-5-signs-youve-lost-control-of-your-reusable-vis/#comment-12630 Antoine: we did at V I Engineering, and have never looked back. The VIPM was a very important part of that step. We are now able to manage our reuse throughout our team. It certainly wasn't easy, but with some good planning and the right support, then nothing can hold you back :) Antoine: we did at V I Engineering, and have never looked back. The VIPM was a very important part of that step. We are now able to manage our reuse throughout our team. It certainly wasn’t easy, but with some good planning and the right support, then nothing can hold you back :)

]]> By: Jim Kring http://thinkinging.com/2008/07/11/top-5-signs-youve-lost-control-of-your-reusable-vis/#comment-12628 Jim Kring Sat, 12 Jul 2008 23:57:57 +0000 http://thinkinging.com/2008/07/11/top-5-signs-youve-lost-control-of-your-reusable-vis/#comment-12628 Antoine, Someday soon, I will share my story (probably as one or more blog posts) about my own work in transitioning reuse libraries from monolithic to modular, both at <a href="http://openg.org" rel="nofollow" rel="nofollow">OpenG</a> and <a href="http://jameskring.com" rel="nofollow" rel="nofollow">JKI</a>. The pain that I've felt along the way and the lessons I've learned have (as you might guess) shaped what <a href="http://jkisoft.com/vipm/" rel="nofollow" rel="nofollow">VI Package Manager</a> is today. I am truly passionate about software reuse and VIPM as the "ultimate tool" that I (and others at JKI) have always wanted for ourselves :) I am certainly interested to hear other people's stories too. I'm imagining, though, that few have tried to (or have gotten very far in) re-organizing a re-use library from monolithic to modular up to now, as there are many tedious steps that need to be automated with proper software tools. Thanks, Antoine,

Someday soon, I will share my story (probably as one or more blog posts) about my own work in transitioning reuse libraries from monolithic to modular, both at OpenG and JKI. The pain that I’ve felt along the way and the lessons I’ve learned have (as you might guess) shaped what VI Package Manager is today. I am truly passionate about software reuse and VIPM as the “ultimate tool” that I (and others at JKI) have always wanted for ourselves :)

I am certainly interested to hear other people’s stories too. I’m imagining, though, that few have tried to (or have gotten very far in) re-organizing a re-use library from monolithic to modular up to now, as there are many tedious steps that need to be automated with proper software tools.

Thanks,

]]> By: antoine chalons http://thinkinging.com/2008/07/11/top-5-signs-youve-lost-control-of-your-reusable-vis/#comment-12626 antoine chalons Sat, 12 Jul 2008 23:45:06 +0000 http://thinkinging.com/2008/07/11/top-5-signs-youve-lost-control-of-your-reusable-vis/#comment-12626 how much do I agree.. I can tell that story from the start to the end. Now.. how hard is it, when you are at that point to say "ok, if we keep on this way we're going to hit the wall,, let's work differently" open question looking forward to feedback.. who ever went down this process of re-organizing re-use library from monolithic to modular ? how much do I agree..
I can tell that story from the start to the end. Now.. how hard is it, when you are at that point to say “ok, if we keep on this way we’re going to hit the wall,, let’s work differently”
open question looking forward to feedback.. who ever went down this process of re-organizing re-use library from monolithic to modular ?

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