asset management tools?

Jason Stephenson jason at sigio.com
Wed Mar 1 19:45:00 EST 2006


Paul Lussier wrote:

> 
> I've never found anything decent.  We're in the (very slow) process of
> writing our own.  Part of the problem with an asset management system
> is that it's a shame to stop there :)

Five years ago, give or take, when I was still a system administrator at 
  the University of Kentucky, we came to the same conclusion and built 
something not quite like what Paul described, but close enough. We made 
different technical choices but had something that was useful enough. I 
have no idea if that system is still in place. It was started before I 
got there, but I made a few enhancements and bug fixes. We included a 
crude trouble ticket system in it, so we could track events by machine.

This sort of thing is never finished because you can always find 
something to add and ways to improve the software, etc.

> 
> What we're doing is builing what I called the "Grand Unified Database
> of Everything" (I need a better name so I can have a snazy acronym :)

I like your choice of name. It could be made into an acronym in two 
ways, either G.U.D.E or GUDoE.

I like 'em both. The first makes me think of gouda, and I'd be inclined 
to call it "cheese" instead. Like good cheese, the product could improve 
or worsen with age. It would depend a lot on how it is handled and the 
environment in which it is stored.

The second acronym makes me think of Samuel Beckett's play, Waiting for 
Godot. Like Godot, the product may never "arrive," at least not in a 
final state. Anyone waiting for it to be finished would be like the two 
characters in the play who wait for a Godot who never comes.

Well, I'm being bellowed at and must run.

Cheers,
Jason



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