I’ve grown tired of desktop software that gets ever more complex and correspondingly difficult to use. Do we really need all the features and functions being thrown at us? Just because a feature can be added to the software, doesn’t mean it should. Software engineers don’t get paid by the feature. End users are just […]
When I and other bloggers write about agile software development, we almost always focus on process areas and Scrum, in particular. That’s fine, but I’m making the argument in this post that your team simply cannot be agile unless some basic elements of software development are in place. Without them, the best agile process on […]
Simpler Is Better Why is it that many of us strive to make things more complicated? Maybe it’s human nature or maybe it’s simply because we can. Regardless, complexity is often unnecessary and it can be just plain evil at times. As the software systems we build grow more complex, the development approaches we use […]
Building great software has become too complex. I write many posts about the software development process and how to improve it but there’s an underlying problem. The art of writing software has become overly complex. That very complexity necessitates an overly complex approach to building it. It’s a vicious cycle. It’s time to get back […]
Apple sent out a few loud and clear messages at their Worldwide Developers Conference this week. They announced some great new products and the media is fixated on them. But the products are not the message. The capabilities of those products and the future direction they establish are what’s interesting. Here’s my interpretation of the […]
Today, technology has become so advanced that it can greatly contribute to the development and productivity of the business. One needs to research, analyze and understand how technology can greatly assist in boosting one’s business. Communication Communication is the most important aspect in any business. One can improve communication or be in touch with business […]
A few months ago, I published a post called “Electronic Kanban Boards Are Worth a Look”. Since then I’ve continued to look for software that can be used by software development teams practicing Kanban or Scrum. Specifically, I’m interested in electronic project boards. There are a lot more options available than I thought and there […]
Back in the old days, around 1999, there was a widespread opinion that the Internet and more specifically, the World Wide Web, would change everything. They have — but that was only the beginning. The real game changer is mobile computing. Smartphones and tablets are revolutionizing how we behave and how we do things. There […]
A wealth of electronic Kanban tools are emerging. Some have been around for a while and others are relatively new. Most charge a monthly or yearly fee. Some have a free option with restrictions. A few are completely free. Many teams prefer using a physical Kanban board drawn on a wall or whiteboard. They like […]
A minor disaster in my home town (water contamination) makes me think about the impact of disaster situations on software project teams. It’s frustrating to have a project derailed by events beyond your control. Disasters happen to the best projects. It’s how the project team prepares and responds that matters. Unexpected emergencies sabotage teams and […]
Tablet computers are disruptive and are invading every company. It started with the Apple iPad and has blossomed into many choices. Every major vendor has announced at least one tablet device including Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Motorola, RIM, Samsung and Toshiba. Those tablets offer a variety of operating systems including Android, iOS, QNX, WebOS (or […]
Lately, multitasking is a hot topic in the smartphone and tablet markets. Google’s Android has it and Apple’s iOS does not. Does it matter? Yes, it does but not in the way you think. Android (and RIM’s QNX) support true multitasking whereby every app has access to the all system resources whether the user is […]
Google seems to have started a trend that is growing worse. Google has a history of releasing software labelled “beta”. The beta tag indicates that the software is not yet complete — missing features, increased likelihood of defects, and general usability issues. The beta tag also provides an easy out. If users complain, simply remind […]
Many firms are touting the benefits of “cloud computing”. It’s particularly beneficial for mobile users. If you could store everything in the cloud, your information would be accessible from anywhere using any device. That’s Nirvana! This approach would also make mobile devices cheaper. If they don’t have to store anything locally, they can do without […]
The smartphone/tablet OS wars are exciting. There are five mainstream choices and one dark horse. Apple iOS Google Android HP webOS Intel MeeGo Microsoft Windows Phone RIM QNX It’s great to have serious competition in any market. Without it, stagnation results. Just look at how far desktop Windows has come in the last decade. Compare […]
I use Google search heavily. Every day. I also use Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, Google Maps and YouTube. There are alternatives for all of them but Google does a nice job and the integration across applications is a big plus. Google clearly dominates Internet search and wants to dominate cloud-based services in general. All […]
It is suddenly ‘breaking news’ that the world will run out of Internet addresses sometime next year. I wrote about this subject back in October, 2007 in an article called “IPv6 Support Is Now Mandatory for Many Suppliers”. It was published in the Indus Business Journal and can also be found on my website. When […]