Frog Driven Development

Really honest article Frog Driven Development on the software equivalent of "Are we there yet Dad?". Boy, does this hit home - I've seen this time and time again in many organisations and projects - like how a 6 week estimate turns into an 11 month death march. Uncomfortable.

Software development is fun, free, fluid, creative but also dangerous, uncontrollable, risky, and unpredictable. And having source code access reduces ou risk for some of that. That's lesson number one.

But this case study also highlights the dangers of outsourcing software development to offshore sweatshops - even with access to source code there's no guarantee. There's more to software development than just the code - you need to specify what you want built (requirements and architecture), you need some way to determining when it meets your needs (acceptance or system tests), and you need the end-product too (the code, a way to build it, and some unit tests to give you a low-pass filter that things are working). That's lesson number two.

Of course the underlying lesson number three is "the wetware problem". Your developers are your number one asset. If you have someone who can write great code, they are worth their weight in doughnuts. Having a developer who you know and trust, has a history to delivering and not just promising, removes so much of the risk it's just not funny.

| 20 Dec 2010 | #

The need for continuous uninterrupted time

The Maker's Schedule. Why meetings are such a distraction to the creative process.

As someone who designs systems and writes code this is so incredibly intuitive but lacking from common knowledge. I can't believe I haven't seen this in writing before. Reading something like this behoves me to go at my calendar with a machete and fight back against the onslaught of meetings that impact my productivity.

| 30 Jul 2009 | #

Having a go

A dangerous video for a software developer to watch: Damian Katz on CouchDB and Me. The story behind doing something great.

Living the dream, making a go of it, stepping up to the plate, having faith in your own abilities. Being successful by taking risk.

I think that inside some developers[0] is an urge to do this. One differentiation between those who succeed and those who don't is that only some try. Talent and opportunity are other important differentiators, but without the 'try' it can't happen.

Note to self: Must keep trying.

More info on CouchDB and Damian Katz.

[0] Is developing software a job, or is it something you'd do even if you weren't paid?

| 23 Feb 2009 | #

97 Things Every Software Architect Should Know

Soon to be released book: 97 Things Every Software Architect Should Know. An open collaborative wiki, these are the 97 things that will make the printed edition. The whole site, especially the selected 97 axioms, is a fantastic resource. So many people claim the title, but so few walk the walk or even talk the talk. Technical leadership is so important, but so badly done in practice.

Best item: Communication Is King.

| 19 Feb 2009 | #

The Future of Software Development

Nice summary article on The Future of Software Development. Worth a read.

In summary, the article suggests that the future holds:

• Modern programming languages, with better abstraction,
• Awesome libraries allowing us to build systems quickly,
• Agile development methodologies, enabling quick development with certainty, while bringing the fun back for the developers.

Of course the thing that the article doesn't mention is open-source. That really adds to the libraries point well, but at a higher abstraction level. Building systems where dependable open-source components can be used for your infrastructure - allowing you to concentrate on your value-add - is a huge win for our industry. Commoditisation is allowing open-source systems to leap-frog proprietary offerings, and is better from an integration perpspective - tailor or fix to meet your requirements.

My new day job is far more about this than it has been previously - using open-source where it makes sense and building upon it. It's more than fresh air - it's a personal revolution!

| 18 Oct 2007 | #