Selecting Technology - The Rule of The Top 3
I remember this conversation with a co-worker many years ago, back when I was coding on an ICL Mainframe. The subject was selecting technology. We came up with "The Rule of The Top 3".
The rule of top 3 dictates that if there are a number of products that can do the job you want and all are similar, pick inside of the top 3. Sometimes, pick only from the top 1 or 2. But never go beyond 3.
It’s about the question of userbase. You can evaluate a number of products and find one that is technically superior at the time. What has to be considered is how much investment (whether in time or money) will go into the product development in future. If choosing a development platform,will there be developers to support it in 24 months?
The top 3 is fluid. This should be noted. Languages or protocols that were once big have been demoted, or in many cases, no longer exist. However, pick 1 in the top 3, and you’ll get plenty of shelf-life. PERL may be declining in popularity now, but 10 years ago, it was a sound choice.
RSS
Fascinating notion of the top three - research and backup are oh so important. That then consigns the numbers 4 and 5 on the market to oblivion though.