Buzz words

Having just attended Microsoft’s PDC 2008, including the introduction of the new Azure services platform, I don’t think I ever want to hear the word “cloud” again. Buzz words like “cloud computing,” “extensible services,” and many more can be useful but more often than not I think they have a negative impact on developers. These effects can be seen both outside and inside the development department.

The first example that comes to mind is what’s going to happen to many companies when upper management finds out about “the cloud.” Of course they’re going to be excited and they’re going to “need” to have it, because all of the customers are going to want it. Of course neither upper management nor the customers will know anything about “the cloud.” Buzz words in software development create a lot of undue excitement in people that don’t understand the underlying technology or concepts. This can result in a lot of undue pressure on the development team as they either rush to meet management’s demands or spend hours trying to explain to management why this new technology is irrelevant to their particular problem space. Another effect that buzz words can have on a software company is that the sales staff can latch onto buzz word laden phrases and use them in their sales pitches, unaware that the features described by the buzz words aren’t actually in the system. This can lead to features being included in the system because a promise of functionality was made, completely derailing development schedules and estimates. It can also result in lawsuits when the customers find out that they didn’t get what they ordered.

Even within the development team, the misuse or overuse of buzz words can have an adverse effect. The ambiguity introduced by buzz words can result in miscommunication within the department when two developers, both using the same buzz words, actually have two separate ideas in mind. How many variations of cloud computing can you think of? In addition to the miscommunication of knowledge, buzz words can actually result in a lack of knowledge. After hearing a buzz word or catch phrase used relentlessly to describe a number of variations on a single technology, a developer may decide the concept is simply too complicated and never pick up a book about it. More often than not, if he or she did pick up a book on the subject, he or she would discover that the buzz word was only a fancy name for a simple and straightforward concept.

In the end, buzz words are a necessary evil. They get people excited about new technologies and provide customers with a symbol they can recognize and understand (or at least think they understand). Buzz words, when used properly, can also help developers talk to each other about complicated concepts using a smaller vocabulary. All the same, the misuse or overuse of buzz words hampers communications on many levels and should definitely be avoided. Choose your buzz words with care.