Never get involved in a land war in Asia...

From The Princess Bride:

Ha ha! You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia, but only slightly less well-known is this: never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!

I propose that the next classic blunder is the holy war called Language Standardization. I am on a committee at work to evaluate programming languages, Libraries, and Development platforms to determine which get the official stamp of approval for our team to use. I agree there is great merit in having a limited number of software tools to support. The alternative is a morass of unmaintainable widgets written with whatever utility or language struck the individual's fancy at the time. The ensuing spaghetti code becomes what is often referred to as "Write only" code because it is impossible to figure out how it works by reading it.

That said the effort of creating said standard is a philosophical landmine that rivals The Crusades in its fanatical implications. Just try getting a Ruby programmer in the same room as a C# programmer and you will see the fireworks start flying. Nothing is sacred in these battles as Cross-platform compatibility, centralized support, flexibility or efficiency of expression, or even the personal quirks of the original designers are bandied about as evidence of our chosen tool's superiority. Nowhere can a team of intelligent, experienced engineers descend into kindergarten bickering so fast as when their pet language is on the chopping block.

I must admit a certain morbid fascination with the whole process. I have always been a bit of a generalist in regards to IT and Software Engineering, so I have no especial attachment to any particular option. I like the ease with which Visual Studio allows C# and Windows development to happen. I like the ease with which my Perl, Python, or Java code runs on Windows, Linux, or Mac. I curse Microsoft and Postgres equally depending on which asinine implementation I must work with at the moment.

Unfortunately this means I don't have a lot of in depth information to add to the discussion. I think it uniquely places me in a position to fairly weigh the arguments of my colleagues as they present the best about their personal bias.

What will we decide?

I don't know, but I plan to enjoy the debate much more than anything the presidential candidates or WWF can come up with.

Why I like Fry's

Fry's Electronics is mostly a West USA phenomenon, though apparently they have a few stores in Illinois, Indiana, and Georgia. It is often referred to as Disneyland for geeks. They carry everything you could want for your computer, rows upon rows of other electronics and appliances, games, movies...

Fry's has been criticized from time to time for their mediocre customer service, highly targeted advertising (including suing people that post pictures of their newspaper ads online), and convoluted rebate processes. They were extremely late entering the game with the Frys Online website, having to buy the domain name once they finally decided to create a page. Considering their target market that last is probably a near-deal-breaking point. A significant portion of Fry's inventory appears to be returned or refurbished items (I have contributed to those returns probably 1/3 of the time I purchased from Fry's).

I must say that for most of my computer component purchases I will research using Pricewatch and often buy from a local group, such as ENU.

Why, then do I love Fry's so much, then?

1) Eye candy!

I love browsing the aisles and seeing what new toys are available. I should clarify that "toy" in my vocabulary might just as easily include a Surround Sound speaker set, Big screen TV or Wi-Fi sensing keychain as it would a new Wii game or Radio-controlled helicopter. Fry's has no end of product displays to start any geek salivating.

In addition to the products, there are always the themes in certain stores. Our Portland store is pretty boring, but I love hitting one of the themed stores when I travel to California.



Whether it be the Mayan temple in San Jose.







The Alice in Wonderland themed one in Woodland Hills




The Alien Invasion themed one in Burbank









Or the City of Industry store










Each offers a fun distraction while you peruse the latest gadgets.

2) Special Deals

Every so often Fry's has unbeatable deals. My favorite is the paper special they do every couple months. 1 ream for $.99. When this is on I give each kid a dollar and hit a different cashier. This is a trick I remember my mother doing with us on Safeway deals growing up.

3) Free "rental" program

My friend Jon mentioned this one to me and I thought it was a stroke of genius. Not sure whether you are ready to buy that new widget? Is your thingamajig being repaired? Try Fry's free rental program. Since Fry's has so many returns their return policy is wonderfully simple. Return it within the given time for any reason and you get a full refund. As long as you take care of the item and keep all the packing material, manuals, and pieces this offers a great way to try before you buy. Thank you, Jon, for the inspiration!

So no I don't buy all my stuff from there and no I don't always trust their pricing, but I still love trips to Fry's whenever I am in the neighborhood. My car regularly experiences a mysterious pull to the right as we near the Wilsonville offramp. If you have a Fry's nearby, especially a themed one, I strongly recommend a trip. If not, I'll take you to mine the next time you are in town.