There are two kinds of architects who work for companies that develop application programs. Ivory tower architects who make proclamations from on high. Typically, these guys never accomplish anything. Absolutely nothing.
Then there's the common man's architect. This architect helps application developers meet the needs of business stakeholders. There's a small problem, however, that is best summarized by a quote from the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid:
I've got vision and the rest of the world wears bifocals.
-- Butch Cassidy (played by Paul Newman)
Even if an architect paints a picture of the future he still needs to create demonstrations to prove his point, because most people are too short sighted to see the future. So you see why I was amused by the architect who wanted to argue about Ruby on Rails -- Rails helps the architect create prototypes so the rest of company can experience his vision. Now, some people in the Java community are starting to realize that Rails is on the fast track.
With the latest release of Rails, people who want to make change happen will have more tools to move at the speed of business. And when business people, who have had to endure over-engineered business applications, experience the lightweight nature of Rails. we'll start to see more Rails apps in corporations.
tags: Ruby on Rails