Dave Winer: “We make [crappy] software“. Everybody does. Sometimes, this is something we forget, and our expectations get out of whack.
Marc Hedlund: Jedi build their own lightsabers
A great post on which parts (if any) of your product to farm out to vendors/partners. The Joel Spolsky post he links to is also a great read on the subject.
Just finished reading a great book on the subject of integrity. Not in the “generally ethical” sense that many (most?) people think of when they hear or use the word “integrity”. The focus of this book is more on a type of wholeness, or what the author refers to as “the courage to meet the demands of reality”. I’m sure the material is like most other such books, in that the core content isn’t necessarily super original, but it was reasonably well put together. Once I got through the first three chapters (which were a little long and drawn-out), I liked it a lot, and would recommend it to just about anybody.
The next book I want to read is Founders At Work. I’ve heard quite a bit of good stuff about it, although mostly from people interviewed in the book. Regardless, it looks like a great read. It’s long been my desire to start a smallish, boutique software development company (e.g. Fog Creek Software, 37 Signals, Panic, The Omni Group, Joyent), and I can’t imagine getting some perspective from various software/technology entrepreneurs would hurt.
Execupundit:
11. If either of us has a problem with the other’s performance, let’s talk about it.
That should’ve been #1, not #11. Other than that, a great list of things for both bossers and bossees to keep in mind.
