Digital Media Core: Flexibility
We’re already using V0.1 of our new software bundle on this website as I type so we know that it works… and we know that it currently has some significant issues that need to be sorted before it becomes more widely useful. Using the pre-production versions of the software you create (or in this case, the bundle of specifically-configured software and custom “glue” code we are creating) is called “dog-fooding” because we’re eating our own dog food (using our own bundle) and is good because if we hit a snag we’ll be ideally placed to get it fixed. However, we know that our usage is not going to mesh with our other users’ implementations, or even our usage in 12 months, so we’re trying to make sure that we create software that is as malleable and flexible as possible.
One of the ways we’re working on this is to get a list of requirements from other companies nearby that might consider using the bundle and rolling it out to other early-adoptors as quickly as possible. The sooner we get a wider usage range, the sooner we uncover the problems that might limit us. Also, if you’re on the lookout for this software, please let us know how you want to use it, what features you think are most important and how you would evaluate the package. This feedback is invaluable to us.
By selecting the components of this suite to be best-of-breed, with active extension communities, we support maximum flexiblity because users can take advantage of these communities, multipling our own efforts.