- Posted by Shay Friedman on July 30, 2010
August is going to be a very busy month for me, speaking at DevLink, TechEd Japan and RubyKaigi. In addition, with the help of Dror Helper, we’re bringing dynamic languages to the local .NET crowd in Israel!
When?
August 18th, 17:30-20:30.
Where?
The Israeli .NET User Group (IDNUG) August meeting,
Microsoft offices, Dekel room
HaPnina 2, floor 0
Raanana, ISRAEL
What?
17:30 - 18:00 Assembly
18:00 - 19:15 “Introduction to IronRuby”
Shay Friedman
19:15 - 19:30 Break
19:30 – 20:30 “Introduction to IronPython”
Dror Helper
Abstract #1: Introduction to IronRuby
Ruby has been a home for some great innovative frameworks like Ruby on Rails, Cucumber and Rake. IronRuby has recently been released, unleashing the power of Ruby to the .NET world. In this session you will get familiar with the Ruby language and its amazing ecosystem and you will learn to take advantage of it in your everyday development tasks. Come and see how this great new addition to the .NET family makes your development process faster, clearer and happier.
Abstract #2: Introduction to IronPython
Do you want to learn about dynamic languages and their uses? IronPython is a good place to start. This dynamic .NET language can be used to develop just about anything – windows application, web services and Silverlight to name a few. This session will explain what Python is all about and how to write .NET applications using IronPython. The session is intended for .NET developers without any previous knowledge of Python that want to learn about the power of Dynamic Languages.
How?
Register now at https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032456794&culture=he-IL
See you all there!
Shay.
- Posted by Shay Friedman on July 27, 2010
Hi all,
Eric Nelson, an Evangelist in Microsoft UK, has published a guest post of mine in his successful blog. The post explains how to take advantage of the IronRuby interactive console to explore .NET assemblies.
You can find the post here: http://geekswithblogs.net/iupdateable/archive/2010/07/26/guest-post-using-an-interactive-console-to-explore-the-.net.aspx.
Enjoy!
Shay.
- Posted by Shay Friedman on July 18, 2010
Recently I had the chance to chat about IronRuby in an episode of the IronLanguages podcast.
The episode is now available at http://ironlanguages.net/epidsode-2-chat-with-shay-ironshay-friedman.
All the best,
Shay.
- Posted by Shay Friedman on July 13, 2010
If you don’t already know, Japan is where the Ruby language was created, back in 1995. This is the origin of this great language, this is where it all started!
So I’m very excited to announce that on this August, IronRuby is coming to Japan!
I’m going to visit Japan in August and talk about IronRuby! I will participate in two very different conferences – TechEd Japan and RubyKaigi.
TechEd Japan, the main Japanese .NET conference, will take place between August 25th to August 27th. I’m going to speak on day 2 of the conference (the 26th) about IronRuby for .NET developers.
RubyKaigi 2010 will take place between August 27th to August 29th. It is a world-class Ruby conference that hosts Ruby great minds from all over the world like Yukihiro Matsumoto (the creator of Ruby), Yehuda Katz, Jeremy Kemper and others. I’m going to give there a talk on the 29th, named “IronRuby – What’s in it for Rubyists?”.
I’m so excited to visit Japan and present in front of both .NET and Ruby developers. Maybe this will be the bridge between the large Japanese Ruby community and the large Japanese .NET community!
Shay Friedman – bridging between developers since 1983!
See you there!
Shay.
- Posted by Shay Friedman on July 10, 2010
I’ve been evangelizing IronRuby for quite a while now and during this time I have been asked this question numerous times. I’m sure anyone in the .NET community who’s trying to evangelize something that is a bit outside the standard toolset have run into this question as well. And I have no doubt it happens in other development environments too. It’s a worldwide problem we’re facing here!
This is actually a good question. The guy/gal who asks it probably understands the benefits of the new technology/tool/whatever but they know that it will be hard to break through their workplace “defenses”.
Indeed, looking through the boss’ glasses, it sounds crazy to change they way people work…. learning curve, complications, an unfamiliar world… or in other words – it is outside the comfort zone. This is actually the heart of the problem – this popular comfort zone. It is, actually, comfortable there. However, it is also still… very small evolvement takes place inside the comfort zone. And you know what Darwin said would happen when something doesn’t evolve, right?
Anyway, we’re here because we do want to evolve, we do want to improve and we do want to use the right technology for the job. So first, let’s get familiar with who we’re dealing with:
- Small startups – startups are the most open-to-changes workplaces out there. This is because in startups, managers don’t really care how something is created as long as you do it fast, you do it good and it doesn’t cost a lot of money. This is where you’ll have most chances of succeeding in convincing your boss.
- Small-medium companies – small-medium size companies tend to be more conservative. You will run into different tools/languages here and there but mostly there will be a single declared method of how a project gets done. It won’t be a piece of cake to sneak a new technology/tool in here but if you succeed to persuade a few people in your close circle, you might have a chance.
- Large-huge corporations – you’re screwed. Politics is what’s running the place, not technology. Therefore, managers will be unwilling to make changes, sometimes even just because they are not technological people and do not understand the benefits. I believe that you can make a change even in these corporations. However, be ready for a long and exhausting fight.
Moving forward, before deciding to go ahead and use your technology/tool in your workplace, be aware of the next bullets:
- Know the technology/tool. People will try to talk you out of it and ask you all the questions they can think of. You need to have answers.
- The technology/tool must have real and clear benefits. The more these benefits can be translated into saving money to the company the better. The benefits must also be something you can present – it takes less time, the code is clearer, it is easier to maintain, etc.
- Do a great job. If you finish the project two weeks late, no one will want to hear about your new technology/tool even if it’s really the greatest thing ever created.
- The WOW effect will greatly help you. If you succeed to wow the people that don’t want to see new technologies in the office, you’re half way in. Try to have that wow effect somehow.
- Be ready to fail. You might not get through the first time. But don’t stop fighting, try again. And again. In the meanwhile you’re using the technology you like so it’s not that bad at all. However, a lot of people really really like their comfort zone and will not agree to move one inch away from it even if they have no good excuse for doing so. If these people are the decision-makers, your chance of getting through is very very small. In such a case, if you’re into new technologies, maybe your current workplace is just not for you.
OK. What do you do now? Well, you have multiple options. I recommend you to try the first one first, if it doesn’t work try the second one and so on.
Get a Permission
Approach your boss and ask for his/her permission to use your technology/tool for a specific task. Do not come and say “let’s use X” because you will get the generic answer “cool, we will” and never hear about it again. Be specific.
In addition, come prepared. Tell your boss why you want to use X for that task and what will you/the team/the company/the world benefit from it. You can also suggest you’ll do a presentation for the team about it and decide together if it’s worth trying.
Work in Parallel
Your persuading campaign didn’t go though and you haven’t received the permission you hoped for. This is not the end, but you will need to work a bit harder.
Given a task, work on it and finish it with the current technologies/tools that everyone is using. In addition to that, work on the same task individually in the technology/tool you want to convince your boss to adopt. Then, when the day comes to show your boss your work, show him/her also your side project and explain them the benefits. Once they see both implementations, can compare them and really “feel” the benefits, they might be convinced more easily.
Don’t tell your boss
I actually don’t like this solution at all… I think it is the fast way to get fired. But it is an option and you need to be aware of it.
This should really be the last resort if your hands are burning and you must use this new shiny technology in your workplace and you know that until Earth is destroyed, there is no way someone will approve you to use it. Anyway, please ask for permission first. Maybe you’ll get lucky.
The idea here is very simple – your boss tells you to do something and you do that with your beloved new technology/tool without letting anyone know. Then you come back to your boss, in record time, and says “I’m done”. From here there are three main scenarios:
- You are fired immediately.
- You loose your credibility and after a while your boss fires you.
- You become the new hero. The technology is adopted by your team and then the entire company. The boss likes people who swim against the current so after a while you are promoted and eventually you become the CEO of the company.
Epilogue
I believe that any person who wants to improve himself/herself in what they’re doing, should widen their horizon and look around. It’s a win-win situation - if you like what you see, learn from it and try to import it into your development environment. If you don’t like what you see, you will be more grateful for what you already have.
And if you think that you’re only one person and there’s no way you can convince your boss and affect the company you’re working for, remember that it only takes one person to start a revolution.
Viva la Revolution!
Shay.
- Posted by Shay Friedman on July 7, 2010
The Israeli ALT.NET community is having a tool night! The idea is simple – 5-6 speakers will have around 20 minutes each to tell you about a handy tool that is worth to be added to your development toolbox.
Time
Monday, July 12th. 18:00-21:00.
Location
Sears offices,
Ekershtein building A,
HaMenofim 9 St.,
Herzeliyya Pituach
See in Google Maps
Agenda
- Test Lint – Roy Osherove
- Code Rush & Resharper - Uri Lavy
- Process Explorer – Ariel Raunstien
- NDepend – Dror Helper
- IronRuby – Shay Friedman
- Testify Wizard - Lior Friedman
Registration
If you’re coming, please register at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/750054433. It’s totally free!
See you there,
Shay.