For the first time in a year I got to sit on the receiving side of a training session, this time for my new product, that open-source network management tool with the Zen-like name. Since the bulk of training came right after lunch (the crab melt at the Ram’s Head Tavern is teh bomb), I got a bit sleepy for a moment but soon rallied when the magic of the product became apparent.
Wow. Wow, wow, wow. This tool is amazing! All the limitations of my former product are gone in this one. Any task you can dream up for monitoring can be done with it. There are some parts that are rough around the edges, but the power and flexibility really make it top-notch. I can see myself spending a lot of time just trying out all the features and tuning it up.
That’s one thing that’s different with this product versus my last one. My last product was dirt-simple compared to this one. Simple is great from a usability perspective but it has tradeoffs, the biggest one being flexibility. To keep it simple, you limit the user’s choices, provide wizards, etc. In contrast, this new tool definitely has a learning curve, but in return the user gets a system that can be configured exactly how she wants it.
I’ve spent the past two days working on a real-world example: a system at my home which monitors my home machines and my datacenter-hosted machines. I’ve now got my system humming along very nicely, with so many more features easily added.
Like I said, I have a lot to learn about my new product, but I’m greatly enjoying the challenge. I can tell right now that when I get some more time with this product I’ll be able to make it do tricks I could only dream about when I was with my old company. Being a geek is fun!