|
 Urgig: Writing about technical subjects requires
a mix of understanding something technical AND being able to
translate what you know to a mass readership. In your case you
actually make the subject matter fun! When did you first realize
you had a blend of both technical understanding and writing skills
and that these went together?
Julie C.
Meloni: "I think when
someone asked me to do it once, and I managed not to look foolish
in my attempt. This was "back in the day", when
the Web was just in its infancy and people creating things (such
as myself) were those people who just taught themselves how to
do it.
I was an English major in
college, and always thought of myself as a writer. I was a geeky
kid -- had my TRS-80 and my Commodore 64 and my subscription
by Byte -- but I have little prowess in science and math. So,
when the Web thing came around, and then backend programming
and database design for Web applications and so forth, I learned
it from a logical, almost aesthestic point of view. Since I had
to translate technical stuff in my own head in order to learn
it, I figured if I wrote about it that way, other people like
me would be able to grasp it easier.
You'll notice that I don't
write advanced books, or really grand technical tomes -- that's
not my style, and not the audience I'm looking for. Plenty of
other people can do that. I do plenty of advanced application
development, but I don't write books or tutorials for a highly
technical audience."
Urgig: Whereas traditional publishers use
a myriad of cultural factors to think about release dates IT
book publishing runs on a faster track in order to keep up with
the technology itself. You've called this 'Internet Time'. Is the reduced time factor
something you're used to as a writer because of where you're
focused?
Julie C.
Meloni: "I imagine
so. I have a friend in academia who is writing a book on.. something
academic, I don't know... and her completion date is something
like two years from now. If I had two years to write a book,
I couldn't do it. I juggle so many things at once that if I don't
just sit down and write something all in one spurt, I can't do
it. I lose my train of thought. So yeah, "focused rapid
development" in application development definitely translates
well to writing books in the IT world."
Urgig: Where were you when you saw your first
GUI screen?
Julie C.
Meloni: "Wow I really
don't know. Depends on what you consider "GUI". I mean,
Pong was graphical, technically. :) "
Urgig: For someone who has an interest in
the way computers work all the way up to the screen I have to
ask what kind and version browser you use most of the time.....
Julie C.
Meloni: "On my Windows
laptop, Netscape 6.01. On my Windows desktop, I usually
have IE 5.5 and a Netscape 4.75 open at the same
time, because that's where I do most of my site development work
and testing. My Linux machines are all servers, and I don't have
X-Windows installed. When I did, I used a mozilla beta build
for a really long time without any problems. I also use Lynx
a lot, when I work on my servers and need to download utilities
and what not. Did you think I'd just have one answer? I'm an
equal opportunity user. :) "
Urgig: Do you think programmers with a Sun background are more likely to
be proponents of open source over their colleagues that started
at Microsoft, or has open source attracted people from
everywhere because it makes such good sense?
Julie C.
Meloni: "I would think
that my Grandmother would be more likely to be a proponent of
open source than a programmer at Microsoft, and she's 75 years
old and senile.
Seriously though, there
are plenty of Microsoft people who recognize the value of open
source (but don't act on it), and there are plenty of Sun people
that think proprietary = good.
I think that in general,
people attracted to open source are so because it does make good
sense, regardless of their background. I also don't think that
just because someone uses Windows, that they can't be open source
advocates. I use Windows on some machines because I'm lazy. But
that doesn't mean I think it's better, and Windows applications
will never come near my servers."
Urgig: In an interview
with us about PHP
recently, Rasmus Lerdorf said people find it to be an intuitive
language that someone else would have created had he not done
so. His contributions (and Scandinavian modesty) aside, can you
comment on what intuitive promptings it must have taken to actually
create PHP for the first time as opposed to the intuition
which may come with understanding how it works well enough to
add to it?
Julie C.
Meloni: "I think that
PHP has extremely logical and simplistic roots. Simplistic does
not in any way mean "less good" or "less powerful".
In fact, I would say that it's the selling point, both for users
and developers. At the time it was created, we all needed a better
way to interact with out static HTML and web servers, and PHP
provides that. If Rasmus didn't do it, he's right -- someone
else would have.
Rasmus is a guy with a logical
head on his shoulders -- there are a lot of high-level developers
who aren't so logical and who don't have much forethought --
and that's one of the personal things he added to the language:
find the best elements of a few existing languages, throw in
the new method of server processing, and make it flexible for
things in the future.
By establishing a great
infrastructure of core developers at the early stages of the
language, as well as coding practices, processes and review cycles,
you have a very tight ship. People who want to add to the language
are forced to go through an extended thought process, with accountability
for actions, so the language is protected haphazard additions."
Urgig: After your first book PHP Essentials, you credit Lynette
Quinn for suggesting that you do a Fast & Easy version.
You seem to have worked in an open positive manner as a writer
which differs widely from the isolated image most writers in
general have upheld. Do you think being involved in the IT field
where teamwork is so important is helpful in allowing creative
people such as yourself to interface with what was formerly a
more left-brained endeavor?
Julie C.
Meloni: "Lynette got
the credit because she's the acquisitions editor for Prima and
they needed the book written really quickly and I never would
have come up with the idea on my own. In fact, I told her that
I didn't think the style would work. What the hell do I know...
because it's sold extremely well and a lot of people love it.
I still don't like the style, though!
In anything, teamwork is
extremely important, but even more important are the team members.
If you have to "carry" your team members more often
than you can trust them to do their jobs, think ahead, and understand
how important it is to think ahead and think of consequences,
then the team is not a good one. I think that this is one of
the greatest flaws in IT project management: creating a team
for the sake of having a team, because that's what the project
management handbook says they have to do. Give me a team of three
people that can get the job done, instead of ten people and weekly
status meetings because that's the team quota. So, I didn't ever
do really well in the usual IT situation, in groups larger than
say 2."
Urgig: I saw an article about you in Polish.
How many languages has your work been translated into?
Julie C.
Meloni: "An article
about me in Polish? That's neat -- was it good? :)
I really don't know how
many languages my work has been translated into. Publishers license
their property to international publishing houses, and authors
aren't really kept in the loop. I only know things because readers
tell me! Usually, it's because they have a question about something,
then I find out there's a Polish version of a book floating around.
Sometimes I can get people to send me a book if I send them something
in English, or that they can't get in their country. I have a
copy of PHP Essentials in Portuguese and also in Traditional
Chinese. I know that PHP Fast & Easy is in Italian
and Polish, but I haven't seen them. If anyone knows of other
localized versions of my books, please tell me!"
Urgig: How has Perl contributed to PHP?
Julie C.
Meloni: "Besides a
lot of structural elements, I think the greatest contribution
Perl has made to PHP was being an unwieldy, often inappropriate
language for dynamic Web sites -- it gave Rasmus, et al something
to better."
Urgig: Although they have different applications,
do you think XML
may soon be out shadowed by PHP in terms of exposure as
'the next big new skill/thing' among IT professionals?
Julie C.
Meloni: "I think that's
really funny, because in 1996 I was leaving little "you
should really use XML here, here and here" notes wherever
I worked. Most people looked at me like I was nuts, like "what's
this XML thing" and now five years later XML is all cool
and useful. I do the same thing now with PHP, because I think
it's usually the best tool for the job. If the pattern holds,
yes -- PHP will be considered the next big skill."
Urgig: You're currently contributing to a
book called PostgreSQL?
Julie C.
Meloni: "I wrote two
chapters for a book called PostgreSQL, by Jeff Perkins.
I wrote a chapter about connecting to and using PostgreSQL with
PHP, and one on connecting to and using PostgreSQL with Perl.
They're really basic in nature, and remarkably similar. I think
the book will be out in August (2001). Jeff's done a good job
of covering things for PostgreSQL users that weren't previously
written about in other books."
Urgig: You've written before about the outdated
nature of many usability models. Do you believe there is one
magic axiom for knowing when to re-shuffle the usability deck
in favor of new ideas?
Julie C.
Meloni: "Use the Force"?
Really, I don't think there's
one set time or one magic job type that should make someone stand
up and go "now!" You have to really examine all of
the elements involved, and their trade-offs. For example, if
you're designing an intranet application and you know that the
majority of the machines on that intranet are using Netscape
3.0 and don't have the Flash plug-in (yes, that's still a
possibility), then you don't even get to use today's rules --
you have to use old rules -- let alone "next generation"
rules.
It's all about good needs
assessments, client-vendor interaction and communication. If
you've done it for years, then you just know when. If you haven't,
then always err on the side of caution, or your client will hire
people like us (i2i interactive, www.i2ii.com)
to fix your creation. We get a lot of jobs that way. "
Urgig: A lot of technical writers are reluctant
to move beyond one small area of specialty, but you've written
about SQL and Creating
Flash Movies which in itself is a stretch. What is the topic
most removed from the technical arena that our readers would
have no idea that you've written about (published or unpublished)?
Julie C.
Meloni: "A paper called
"The Search for Personal Meaning and Freedom in Arthur
Rimbaud's 'Une Saison en efer'" for my college Existentialism
class. I would have liked to have been a Philosophy professor,
but I have no patience in class and therefore never would have
made it through the necessary schooling."
Urgig: You've teamed up with Olympic Gold
Medalist Jennifer Azzi to form MyTrainingCamp.com,
which is designed to help people get into shape and achieve healthy
living. Is personal fitness something you've always used to balance
your time spent in front of a screen?
Julie C.
Meloni: "I really
wish I could say "yes" to that question, but that wouldn't
be true. In fact, I'm the complete antithesis of Jennifer, as
far as fitness is concerned, although I'm working on it.
It's also a little known
fact that the point guard for the Utah Starzz of the WNBA is
really a geek at heart, but she is! We clicked with regards to
ideas she had, and things I can do to make things "go".
We are going to be opening some of the online tools and workouts
to the general public in just a few weeks. We have tools that
integrate with our physical training camps, and tools and workouts
that people can use anywhere, apart from our camps (which are
currently only in Northern California).
It was just one of those
things, and we're carefully building a business around several
different product offerings -- both physical and virtual. We're
basing everything that we do on everyday people -- one of the
rules we use is "can our Mothers do this?" I think
that's a good rule to keep in mind in any sort of product development
geared toward the masses."
Urgig: You have such a wide spectrum of activity.
Technology has allowed the return of the Renaissance Man(Woman)
in that it's possible to involve yourself in a diverse array
of commitments instead of just one. Other than the ability to
go without sleep, have you discovered any secret organizing principles
that allow your life to run smoothly while keeping five balls
in the air?
Julie C.
Meloni: "No, actually,
because I'm really bad at it! Ask my editors -- I drive them
nuts. Some of them have to give me false deadlines because I'm
usually late on things. I've got this mix of attention deficit
disorder, laziness and general procrastination that makes working
for myself just about the only option I have. :)
Seriously, though...whenever
I get things done, they're usually right and don't need much
help. But getting something done IS difficult for me.
I'm one of those people
that only thrives on having a lot of stress. If I only have on
thing to do, I'll rarely get it done on time. If I have ten things
to do and there's a gun to my head to get them all done, then
that's the way I get things done. Bad employee."
Urgig: If your computer could do one thing
for you everyday, something currently considered either difficult
or impossible that you'd rather not have to do yourself, what
would it be?
Julie C.
Meloni: "Turn itself
off and tell me to go to bed."
|
Related
links
|
Also on
urgig:
Rasmus Lerdorf,
Father of PHP, interviewed on urgig.com
Our PHP Subportal |
|
|