Programmers, good programmers, are known for over-engineering to save time later down the road. The problem is that you can over-engineer yourself out of wanting to do the site..

– Andre Torrez

I ran across this quote at 0xDECAFBAD and found it resonating with me.  I am quite guilty of this, as I’ve always been one to attempt to anticipate every project pitfall.  Too often, I’ve ended up mired in a project that wasn’t properly conceived, or in which the specifications fell remarkably short of the actual goals.  Unfortunately, this does occasionally lead to the “fix” being as much of a quagmire as the original fault.  Projects can frequently become over-ambitious and unwieldy — just ask any government contractor.

The trick is to realize where the breaking point is.  Releasing too quickly can leave the project in desperate need of a rewrite, and waiting too long between releases can kill the project before it ever gets off the ground.  I have a virtual treasure trove of half-finished projects, all vying for some portion of my spare time, a little bit of TLC.  Unfortunately, given the complexity of my situation the past few years, finding an opportunity to dig into any code that doesn’t immediately provide financial compensation is rare.  Projects fell by the wayside, and their utility faded.

The more general lesson to pull out of this is to not overcomplicate; to take calculated action often, and compensate for mistakes along the way.  I’m not always a careful person, but I am complex and contemplative.  Inaction perturbs me, and yet I find myself regretting pushing the boundaries more often than I’d like.

The project webpage links to l.m.orchard’s installation guide.  Looks like it might be worth playing with, especially as it’s implemented in PHP with a few PEAR libraries, utilizing XMPP — right up my alley.  I hope to be able to contribute a bit as soon as I get a more comfortable routine down (also known as “relocating and rediscovering free time”).

I’ll be sure to post any updates / hints.