Last night I downloaded and installed Eiffle Studio 5.7 and wrote my first Hello World program in Eiffle. After careful consideration, I have decided to concentrate on developing my expertise using this programming language.
It is a losing proposition to base your expertise on a common programming language or commonplace technology. I think I’ve wasted my time, effort, and genuis on developing solutions only to see my work taken over by some less experienced and talented developers because the company “has the software” and doesn’t feel they need my expertise. Frequently this has disasterous results and significantly impacts work efficiency but management clearly does not value technical expertise or experience.
Eiffle is a fairly obscure programming language which very few developers are going to be familiar with. It is also deceptively complex but actually integrates with existing technology quite easily, like ASP.NET for example. By developing my solutions in Eiffle I will have some insurance that my investment in expertise and business solutions will not be wasted.
Some Information Technology professionals would argue that you should not learn obscure programming languages because there will not be any demand for your skills. However many of the small businesses I work for are completely mystified by technology and aren’t going to take any interest in the technical aspects. For these clients I am free to use any technology I care to use and I might as will make it Eiffle. Then when they decide to go with another developer they will be unable to find anyone with the necessary expertise to take over my projects. This may seem fairly ruthless but it is only good business to protect your investment. Also, management’s decision to change developers based on cost is usually a disasterous decision that is highly detrimental to the project.
