Choosing the right tools

Quick Forward

I'm behind on my blogging. I said I would blog once a month and I did not post anything. Why? I wrote a post on writing a Hello World program in 3 programming languages, with screen shots and found out Linkedin did not easily support adding pictures into their blogs.

So I did what any sane person would do - I bought a domain and setup a website. Within an hour I had my old post imported, a web page and an email address. - sean@doit.guru. Thanks WIX.COM . It cost me a few bucks but I plan to try to recoup some of that in the next year with all the clicks you guys make - right?!?

This is not he Hello World post but it will have to do for now. I will get that one up shortly.

Tools

It amazes me how much time is wasted on the wrong tools. People want to spend $20 on the bargain tool box.. The advertising says, the adjustable wrench is all you’ll ever need. It fits all nuts and bolts right? The screwdriver will be all you need. It turns screws right?

Don't get me wrong, I have several adjustable wrenches in 3 sizes and multiple Screw Drivers that can change from small Philips to small flat head and large Philips to large flat head. These are my go to tools. Some probably came in the cheap kit that I bought when I was a teenager.

However, anyone who’s done more than an hours worth of hanging pictures, building their kids bike or any other household upgrade will recognize that the cheap toolkit will not do the job. The adjustable wrench in the kit only fits nuts up to ¾ of an inch and you’ll probably need two wrenches to build your kids bike. The screwdriver from the cheap toolkit fits a lot of screws but you can’t use it to fix the arm on your glasses.

Why are we talking about a small cheesy tool kits? Because in IT, we have a tendency to buy small cheesy toolkits. We think they can work and they might with a cost - your time.

If you’re looking at a backup solution, NAS or other IT tool you might be tempted to buy the cheap one, but I’ve found that buying the right tool for the right situation makes the job faster, the product less likely to break and frees IT people up for bigger and better things. Want a better price? - negotiate.

So, my website "tool" cost me some money. It was the right tool for the right job. No challenge on this one unless you want to start your own blog and spend money on a website no one will ever read.