I’ve been told it’s better for me to have the camera off on calls because then
you can only HEAR my eyes roll.
From: Mark W. Farnham <mwf@xxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, October 28, 2022 9:35 AM
To: Jeff Smith <jeff.d.smith@xxxxxxxxxx>; christopherdtaylor1994@xxxxxxxxx
Cc: oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: [External] : Re: What's that line again about 'best practices'?
Jeff has made a reasonable realpolitik response.
The bitter old man unreasonable response approximating “get off my lawn, you’re
trampling my daisies and dandelions, and I don’t want a lawn you can only get
with chemical fertilizer and pesticides” is where I am at.
Jeff’s position is probably more reasonable: Translate the literally harmful
buzzword’s meaning into something at least benigh.
To that practical position I would only add:
This is what we think you should be doing at least as a starting point unless
you have a good reason for starting somewhere else or making a change as
conditions change.
That was what the ?old? ?ancient? Oracle VLDB and MOSES attempted to do. I
truly wish we had settled on a less obnoxiously arrogant industry term (that
has spread beyond our industry, usually with the harmful, stifling effect and
the promotion of “if I do this, my ass is covered” attitudes.
Jeff’s response is probably the most practical, especially if we can at least
remember to laugh with our eyes whenever someone at a microphone says “best
practice” with a straight face and no air quotes.
That is my picture of Jeff’s face (laughing politely only with his eyes) when
he hears “best practice.”
Jeff has been and remains a force for Good in the use of Oracle technology.
mwf
From: oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[mailto:oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jeff Smith
Sent: Friday, October 28, 2022 8:16 AM
To: christopherdtaylor1994@xxxxxxxxx<mailto:christopherdtaylor1994@xxxxxxxxx>;
mwf@xxxxxxxx<mailto:mwf@xxxxxxxx>
Cc: oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: RE: [External] : Re: What's that line again about 'best practices'?
Our ‘Best Practices’ are more like
‘What we think you should be doing’
But we know what folks are googling is ‘Best Practices’
I also hate this term, but it’s what the industry has landed on.
From: oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
<oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>> On Behalf
Of Chris Taylor
Sent: Friday, October 28, 2022 8:11 AM
To: mwf@xxxxxxxx<mailto:mwf@xxxxxxxx>
Cc: oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [External] : Re: What's that line again about 'best practices'?
Thank you Mark!
On Thu, Oct 27, 2022, 4:28 PM Mark W. Farnham
<mwf@xxxxxxxx<mailto:mwf@xxxxxxxx>> wrote:
James Morle suggested something along the lines that they should be renamed
Usual Practices (or something like that). I’ve called them Standard Minimum
Starting Points and I pointed out that the only best practice I know of is to
not allow things to be called best practices. Calling something a “best
practice” tends to stifle attempts to do better.
IF you can get something called a best practice into your service delivery
standards and you implement that practice, you have a legal defense whether or
not the users can do anything or not.
Nothing can be proven to be a best practice. Things called best practice are
sometimes really just good enough to be acceptable.
You’ve probably caught the drift I believe “best practice” is a harmful term.
Some things called “best practices” are really quite good initial starting
points or usual practices that are just fine unless you need something better.
From: oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[mailto:oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>] On
Behalf Of Chris Taylor
Sent: Thursday, October 27, 2022 1:59 PM
To: oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: OT: What's that line again about 'best practices'?
Mark or someone has an idiom I want to save this time....
Something about best practices being written by people who don't have to
support them or something .....
Chris
