[nzlug] Buzz-word Compliance (minor hijack)

[Simon Bridge]

On Wed, 2008-04-30 at 00:33 +1200, Nevyn wrote:

> I was in Taranaki recently where a Linux system was being migrated to
> Windows due to a company buying out another and the parent company
> wanting the newly obtained company to consolidate their systems to
> what the parent company are using.
> 
This happens because linux distros hon't take out full-page ads in the
bosses favourite magazine.

> The term "business logic" was mentioned. This to me is a Buzz word
> (Yes again with the capital). Not jargon.

Yes it is. And it is not to be challenged at a meeting. Buzzwords are a
fundamental point of friction between technical staff (who are trained
to use language for communicating ideas) and management (who are trained
to use language to obscure the responsibility).

> Buzz. He stood up, told them
> they were all bollocks as he disagreed with their decision to move to
> a Windows platform and stated "I've never heard of this term and I've
> got a degree!".

> Apparently a degree doesn't imply an all encompassing knowledge of
> jargon or buzz words.

It also doesn't stop you from behaving like a twit.

The place to challenge buzzwords is at the technical implementation -
you get to ask for a clarification.

There are some buzzwords, and jargon, I have noticed are absent from
FOSS.

eg. "solution"
A solution is a pre-built application or suite of applications. Probably
with a set of "best practises" as well. But you don't hear "Get
OpenOffice.org: your productivity solution".

The trouble is that it is unusual for a packaged "solution" to be a good
fit for any "problem" you have. (Actually, you don't have "problems" you
have "opportunities" and we're in danger of entering ad-speak.) You end
up, having wasted ("invested") the money, looking for a problem to
solve. With any luck you'll find one, then try to market a service based
on it.

Invest in our connectivity solution: every day brings a new opportunity.

In FOSS, a solution is what you use software to achieve. Specifically,
you look at your problem, and the available software, and try to work
out how to modify the latter to solve the former.

So we don't have connectivity solutions, we have server-client software
and open standards. They are tools - you use them to solve problems.
It's a different mindset.

I don't think I've seen "trusted" either. The vendor doesn't decide if
something is trusted or not - it's *your* security, surely that's up to
you.

However - while buzword compliance can be good for that final sales
push, it is always more effective to sell the benefits.
http://zgp.org/~dmarti/linuxmanship/#benefitsvsbuzzwords