
8 Ways to Find IT Talent for an Undesirable Location - pius
http://www.makingitclear.com/newsletters/newsletter58.html#article
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edw519
"I've seen companies that build proprietary systems around older or seldom-
used technology (like the PICK operating system or dBase) and then wonder why
they can't attract people to work on them. You're much better off using
standard off-the-shelf software whenever possible and then building any
proprietary software using currently popular products."

As a long-time practitioner of the PICK Operating System, I have witnessed
hundreds of companies who would NOT be "better off using standard off-the
shelf software".

Stop and think how illogical this argument is. The reason people choose
seldom-used technologies is because they are better for them. There are plenty
of good programmers everywhere if you bother to look hard enough.

This is like saying, "If you have deliveries to make but can't find a truck
driver, buy a car and make more trips."

Addendum: This is what typically happens in a PICK environment:

1\. Company implements PICK based system and hires PICK programmers to make
the system do whatever it needs. (A PICK shop typically has 10% to 20% of the
people of a mainframe shop.)

2\. Company is successful for many years.

3\. Company is acquired by MegaCorp.

4\. MegaCorp MBA's don't understand why Company has such old proprietary
technology and "not enough help". They spend $10 to $20 million to convert to
SAP or Oracle.

5\. Halfway through failing conversion that is over a year late and $10
million over budget, MegaCorp calls edw519 to propose a project to "convert
them back to PICK".

6\. MegaCorp MBA's move on and blog about stuff they know nothing about.

