Question

I am currently working on a project with which I need to program up a bit of a proof of concept app. I have written PoC apps before but they have only been really small and haven’t really had lots of layers where as the app I’m writing now has a:

• Form layer – talks to data layer.
• Data layer – talks to Database and Interop layer.
• Interop Layer – talks to a COM object.
• The COM object

What would be the best way to write a program to show that I can get from A to B and the process that is needed, without needing to invest a lot of time in writing the PoC.

I already have the idea in my head on how it should all go together but I’m having a bit of trouble showing my team mates what I mean.

Can anyone recommend any tips/tricks when coding up PoCs? Or would there be a better way to explain what I mean rather then having to write code.

Answer 1

I agree with other responses about getting a prototype up. One way to make sure that your prototype remains as such is to use a language or toolchain that would definitely not be used in the final product, thus forcing it to be rewritten as production-quality. Some ideas I’ve used:

• Write a pre-scripted network client using shell scripts (netcat and a lot of bash)
• Write a server in Python, Ruby, or another RAD language you’re familiar with
• Use a technology that is simpler than your production technology (communicate via static files instead of TCP, or use a very simple RPC mechanism instead of a middleware product)
• Use software with incompatible licensing, so the product cannot be released (GPL is good for this, for anything that actually gets distributed).
• Write a web form as a static HTML page (no styling or anything, ugly as sin)
• If possible replace any remote interactions (database, network) with local object interactions, with handwaving to say ‘really these two steps would occur separately’