Tilly,

Optimists? I don't know if I'd go that far. We're optimistic that we can solve a problem and make easier for the user of our solutions, even if we're the user.

But, we're pretty pessimistic about other things. We're convinced that certain commerical vendors will make our lives more difficult. We're positive that upper management will not provide us with the resources (time, bodies, understanding, training, tools, etc) that we believe we need to do the job faster and more efficiently.

On the whole, I think the more seasoned of us prefer to think that we're realists. It doesn't matter if the glass is half-full or half-empty. The relevant question is "Who drank out of it?"

:-)

But I do agree that finishing systems involves a bit of mental sorcery.

-- f