"bespoke" Means ??? 3

[Golom]

I see references in many of the forums to "bespoke" work or "bespoke" applications. I assume that these come from our UK bretheren (of all possible genders, of course). My on-line dictionary (Merriam-Webster) says "to hire, engage, or claim beforehand". ... but what exactly does this mean in terms of application development?

 

[sleipnir214]

Here's another meaning to the word at YourDictionary.com:

[ol][li]To be or give a sign of; indicate. See Synonyms at indicate.[/li][li][/li][ol a][li]To engage, hire, or order in advance. See Synonyms at book.[/li][li]To request: bespeak a favor.[/li][/ol][li]To foretell; portend: fearful weapons that bespeak great loss of life.[/li][li]Archaic To speak to; address[/li][/ol]

I'm leaning toward 1(a).

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[Golom]

sleipnir214
I assume you meant 2a since there is no 1a.

I kinda like "... fearful weapons that bespeak great loss of life ...". Definitely the kind of applications I want to write someday.

 

[BJCooperIT]

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

Main Entry: be·spoke
Pronunciation: bi-'spOk
Variant(s): or be·spo·ken /-'spO-k&n/
Function: adjective
Etymology: past participle of bespeak
1 a : CUSTOM-MADE b : dealing in or producing custom-made articles
2 dialect : ENGAGED



^{Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw}
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[Golom]

Thanks BJCooperIT

So I can infer that a "bespoke" application is one that is custom-developed to a particular customer's specification.

 

[rosieb]

My OED offers

Bespeak as 1. Engage in advance; 2. Order(goods); 3. Suggest, be evidence of; 4.Speak to.

and

Bespoke as 1. (of goods esp clothing) made to order; 2.(of a tradesman) making goods to order.

Thus, bespoke tailoring always meant a custom, hand-made, (therefore high quality and expensive), suit. A slightly quaint, old-fashioned expression.

Bespoke software is, I think, aimed at implying the "old-fashioned quality" values.

If you, as a company director, would have your tailor make you a bespoke suit, surely you would wish to buy bespoke software for your company.

 

[rosieb]

BJCooperIT
Must have posted at the same time.

 

[Golom]

rosieb

No. I would rather have generic, off-the-shelf, crappy software, thereby saving the company money, so that they can pay me enough that I can buy this overpriced "bespoke" suit.

Am I getting the hang of this "Enron Executive" mentality?

 

[rosieb]

Golom

Don't think so, not quite. You're missing the British "class snobbery" overertones.

A "proper" bespoke tailor would only work for a gentleman, the sharks at Enron were not gentlemen (their suits may have been hand made, but wouldn't be bespoke) - to paraphrase the late Alan Clark MP "they had to buy their own furniture" (ie, hadn't inherited an estate full of antiques).

Besides, you'd buy the suit with inherited money. After all, a gentleman like you, you don't really need the salary, you've got the family trust fund!

Rosie

 

[Golom]

rosieb

With the "inherited money"? Surely not!

With the interest on the interest from the family trust fund perhaps ... not that we ever actually discuss something so crass as money with our "bespoke" tailor.

 

[rosieb]

Golom

Now you've got it!

 

[LesleyW]

In the UK I've certainly heard the phrase "bespoke software" meaning equivalent to custom software enough times not to blink at it.

 

[lionelhill]

Ah, but is the wheel of my bicycle beautifully bespoked?
I think so...

 

[willir]

And anybody who worked with an SAP migration will know that bespoke is a potential recipe for heartache to the customer and money in the bank for the consultant.

We recently went through a huge SAP migration. And we had over 100 bespokes. Anything from a front end table to a completly different way in doing things as developed by SAP.

After a few months, the pure SAP works perfectly. Many of the bespokes (can we call it customization?) don't work, or require very specific and sequential steps or else kaboom.

I can;t wait to see what the first SAP system upgrade is going to look like;-)

So keep your bespokes to yourself, and settle for shrink wrap if you can.

 

[ChrisHunt]

Ah well, since we're digging out dictionary definitions here, Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1998) gives

Sap: v.t. To make unstable or infirm; to unsettle; to weaken.

They certainly bespoke the truth there...


-- Chris Hunt

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