Robert Allen has found that technology is constantly evolving and it is very easy to become consumed by it. In over 20 years of developing software he has learned that technology for technology's sake is like junk food...exciting but empty. If it doesn't provide a practical solution to a problem the investment in new technology is a waste. Not that he thinks we should accept the status quo. Sometimes you have to set aside the folklore and traditions to move forward. This is the exciting part of his work at Innovative, leveraging the past while keeping an open mind about the future. If anything describes his career it is the advice given early in his career, and which is summed up nicely on many Bay Area bumper stickers: Question Authority!
Surely you all remember the P.D. Eastman book Are You My Mother? In it a baby bird wanders around asking all types of animals if they are his mother. Well that’s somewhat how I’ve felt over the past few years as I’ve tried to identify who the real customer is for the OPAC.
The […]
Hi! I’m Robert Allen and I am a Director of Software Engineering here at Innovative. Some of you already know me from working with us as a beta tester, or as a development partner, or through an IUG or ALA meeting. For those that don’t, I’ve been at Innovative for 7 years […]
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