'Shiny' and 'new' become mundane, even commonplace. We're so inundated with the Shiny and the New that the very concepts themselves start to disintegrate, the words repeated over and over and over until they devolve into a meaningless stream of vowels and consonants. The pace of change in the world of software is relentless. I no longer find Scott Hanselman's Ultimate Developer Tool list inspiring. But we are too easily distracted by shiny new toys and playthings. Like Magpies, software developers are unusually smart and curious creatures, almost by definition. Sometimes it is the new flash array that drives transactions to closure twice as fast, and draws them back to your site or store time after time.I've often thought that software developers were akin to Magpies, birds notorious for stealing shiny items to decorate their complex nests. Like that brilliant 4k display in the retail environment that makes the product(s) jump out at you, or the incredible mobile app that draws customers into your business so that you can sell your shiny new toy. Does it solve a business problem, or is it just the wow factor? Sometimes the wow factor is what you need, and it can help drive business. Our job is to look at the business requirements and needs, and understand the cost benefit. But if you have not looked at or talked about the shiny new toy, you have not done your job-this applies to both the buyer and the seller.

It is new, shiny and usually screams performance.

There is a reason that the shiny new toy is attractive. I am talking about technologies that cost tens-and sometimes even hundreds-of thousands of dollars. But the dilemma that I am addressing is the one of the person who just has to have the shiny new toy. I quite frequently find myself wanting, and even buying, the shiny new toy for myself. But when we have to buy the shiny new toy, is it always worth it? If it solves a real business problem and shows you ROI that you need, yes. It is easy to be attracted to the shiny new toy. The question is, “Do we need one in our IT environment?” There is nothing wrong with the shiny new toy we all want one. I was on a recent appointment when I was asked about the shiny new toy. It is the holiday season, so I thought it was a good time to write about the shiny new toy.

A Shiny New Toy by M.J. O'Shea