Monthly Archives: July 2009

Quick Code Reviews

D’Arcy has a good take about how fast you can do code reviews. As he himself says, the example is a bit contrived, but the point remains: You don’t have to spend a lot of time to do code reviews. … Continue reading

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The Problem with the Software Craftsmanship Concept

The idea of software craftsmanship is very appealing. It elevates the art of programming and sends a message that programming is a lifelong dedication to improving one’s skill and aspiring towards perfection. All that is good and noble about programming … Continue reading

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Tom DeMarco on Software Engineering

Tom DeMarco has written a thoughtful and introspective article on software engineering (PDF). In that, he questions some of his early work on metrics, wondering if it is still relevant. He suggests that there was too much focus on time … Continue reading

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Understand Free Software First

It is now official that WordPress themes are GPL, which creates problems for the business models of the design companies which were offering “premium” themes. A few weeks before this happened, a few premium theme developers such as Revolution decided … Continue reading

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Laptop Hunting

I was amused to read the story of how somebody from Apple wanted Microsoft to stop the Laptop Hunter ads. Because last week, I was with my friend providing moral support while he was hunting for a laptop at BestBuy. … Continue reading

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Stretching Software Development Skills

While conducting interviews, I keep running into programmers who seem to be very specialized, but know little outside that zone, even if that knowledge is very related to their work. That is, they know a programming language and framework and … Continue reading

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Google as Pirates?

Bruce Eckel, one of my favorite book authors, has a thinly disguised anti-Microsoft screed titled “The Cathedral and the Pirate” with Google Chrome OS used as a bludgeon. Apparently, Microsoft is a cathedral and Google is the pirate which can … Continue reading

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Why Google Chrome OS is Overrated

Farhad Manjoo of Slate takes down the upcoming Google Chrome OS: But here’s the crucial sticking point for Chrome: Because it’s based on a Web browser, every app developed for Chrome will also run perfectly on Windows or the Mac. … Continue reading

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Forgotten Products

I was reading Ryan’s post on WolframAlpha when I realized that this was the first time in weeks that I have thought about WolframAlpha. There was a big burst of PR during its release  - the mainstream media, the technology … Continue reading

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The Non-Delegation Trap

A project operates most efficiently when the division of labor within the project is done effectively. In simple terms, this means Every person works on tasks that will maximize the benefit to the team. Even if they are good at … Continue reading

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