Daynote ,Svenson

MM-iii     Monday

2000-01-03

Warmer still at 8°C and dry but still gray and cloudy. Just the kind of in-between weather that I don't like. Not that I mind it too much as long as it remains dry but it never does. Rain is predicted for next morning.

First workday of the year so every body goes around shaking hands and chatting up. All in a good excuse for not doing real work. I just don't like it, especially when someone that has no business on our department comes around and starts interrupting everybody. It is just once a year so ...

We have a problem with release upgrades. We have been using Progress V8 for developing TeleSales and now we got V9. The new version was installed on the older NT server (Compaq Prolinea with a Pentium Pro if I am correct) and Ronny has tested our programs and made a few adaptations to get it compiled. Now it is time to install it on the new server (also Compaq Prolinea but with P-II chips). All the opcos are using V8 so for support reasons we must keep V8 active until everybody is converted to V9. We intend to make that conversion a purely technical matter, without any functional change or bug-fix in TeleSales. That way it can be installed with minimal testing and without complications. Once everything is installed in the opcos Ronny can pickup the changes required by the new release of OCS. The problem is that all the bug fixes in our own C02 version are done so, according to plan we should fix the code (no more changes) until V9 is rolled out. Fixing the code means that Ronny cannot work so the period should be as short as possible. However the roll-out must be done by Wilbert (or Tom) and they are currently committed to the implementation of SAP. The earliest they can do something is halfway January. Keeping Ronny occupied for fourteen days will need some creativity. Or a change in plan.

We had a long meeting with Theo and Wilbert to make up a new schedule but nothing has been decided, we just spent about three hours in a meeting to get at the conclusion that something must be done. Wow. Part of the duration can be attributed to the way Theo conducts a meeting. He tries to explain a situation that is clear to everybody (else) but he rephrases every sentence several time until he loses track of what he actually wanted to explain. That may be an effective method to conduct a meeting where various managers are competing for resources but for reaching a decision it is not appropriate. Well we lost three hours with no decision made.
I like short, decisive meetings where everybody it to the point and straight forward.

I got the HCC programs up and tested. Now I have to add them to some other existing programs. Along with extra functions to actually use the HCC. Then there are changes to the payment condition code that must be added to OMSI-3. No chance that I get without job around here :-)

The Undeniables, aka Netwidows, are making a good start with their own gang, sort of counterpoint/complement to the boys. Maybe in a few months time another daynotes-like group comes online : the web-orphans. Well, with mom and dad caught up in the web and all that.
Poor old (well old?!) Landon already has to compete with mail for attention from mom and compete with wordology for attention from dad. So maybe if he gets a computer with a web site and a mail program he can mail and post his requirements. :-)
Of course Danielle then requires her own computer as well. Yes Tom, time to expand the network.

Adios