Chapter 4: Managing Your Software s Time

Overview

I consider myself a very patient person when dealing with coworkers and students. I understand that different people have different ways of thinking and understanding things, and so I’m okay if somebody doesn’t quite get it at first. I can wait.

But this is not the case when I have to deal with computer software. When I click that button, I better get a response now. Pronto! In fact, if I find that something is misconfigured in my computer, causing me to have to wait an extra three seconds every time I open a certain file, I’m not above spending three hours to diagnose and track down the problem so that I can do things more quickly. (It’s true! If you don’t believe me, see the sidebar “My Own Hourglass Problem Solved” in this chapter.)

In the early 1990s during the days of Windows 3.1, I decided that most people have an hourglass threshold of about 30 seconds. But that was 10 years ago before we had been introduced to computers that are approaching 3GHz or higher. Today, I believe 30 seconds is way too long to wait. What if I have to wait that long for your software? I don’t believe in breaking the computer (it’s not his fault, after all; he’s just a computer). But I do believe in deleting your software and using the competition’s. Hee, hee, hee.

But what about custom software that large corporations contract to have written? Those people can’t just delete it and go with the competition, first, because the users aren’t the ones who make the purchase decisions, and second, because a competing product simply doesn’t exist. And now imagine if you’re the one who wrote the software, and you work at the company. You don’t have a support staff, and you’re the one who will get all the abuse of the angry, impatient people coming in to complain to you. (And you can’t fix the software after they push you out the door and hire somebody else.)

Next, think about how much time is spent across the planet as people wait for the hourglass. If one million people in New York City alone lose one minute a day on the hourglass, that translates to about 695 days, which is nearly two years of time wasted per day in New York City alone! Think of the impact that has on the economy of New York City. Now think about the whole planet and the impact that has.

So how do you keep your users happy? Don’t make them wait. In this chapter I talk about ways you can keep your software moving along, which will keep your users both happy and healthy. And that will keep your checkbook fat!