Posted on Fri, Sep 07, 2012
It's Friday and that means it's time for our weekly feature where we search the Web looking for 5 interesting, funny and poignant links for developers and IT Pros.
If you missed our other post this week, Developers Follow the Money to iOS, please check it out. Android clearly controls the most smartphone marketshare, but it doesn't mean it's the most popular development platform.
Please consider subscribing if you like what you see here, and if you have something to say, please feel free to leave a comment and let us know what you think.
And without further delay, here we go with this week's links:
This Ain’t Your Father’s Web Application | Input Output
It goes without saying that the web has grown into an increasingly complex place since its humble beginnings in 1990, and at the same time, web applications have grown increasingly sophisticated. This article takes an indepth view of the technologies driving these changes.
Polyglot: No One Language Will Rule the Cloud | Smartbear
Speaking of complexity, the Cloud is another element of the changing face of the web, and when you look at cloud application development, you might be surprised to find how many different languages it requires to complete a project. As the author points out, it requires multiple programming languages and you need to understand the level of complexity to be successful.
The Rise and Fall of Adobe Flash | Speckyboy
Flash was once the centerpiece of the Adobe world, then Steve Jobs decided he didn't want Flash on the iPad, and it effectively marked the beginning of the end. This article looks at the history of Flash from its golden age to its fall from grace.
A Scrum Master Is Not a Project Manager by Another Name | Scrum Alliance
When you move to Agile methodology, it's easy to think that the Scrum Master is just a fancy way of referring to the project manager, but as this article explains, it's a very different proposition, and to make that assumption would be a huge mistake.
SUSE’s OpenStack Cloud Is Good For The Ecosystem | Cloudave
When SUSE announced it was jumping on the cloud bandwagon, and using OpenStack in the process, it meant another major open source player was supporting this standard, and in this author's view, that's going to help push its success.
Photo by Tomma Henckel Used under Creative Commons Share Alike/Attribution License.
Posted on Fri, Mar 02, 2012
It's Friday and that means it's time for our weekly feature where we search the Web looking for 5 interesting, funny and poignant links for developers and IT Pros.
If you missed our other posts this week,
Cheap Mozilla Phone Faces Steep Challenge, please check it out. It discusses the new Mozilla phone with a Linux kernel, which Telefonica Digital claims it can bring to market for around $20. We're skeptical that it's possible to manufacturer and market an unsubsidized smart phone at that price. Check out the comment from Mozilla CTO Brendan Eich.
Please consider subscribing if you like what you see here, and if you have something to say, please feel free to leave a comment and let us know what you think.
And without further delay, here we go with this week's links:
ScrumMaster Tales–Stop Digging New Holes | Agile Pain Relief
An on-going series on the adventures of a Scrum Master. In this episode, he offers the advice to avoid holes (they slow you down) and understand when the sprint is complete. He reviews meetings and training requirements and you will find some solid practical analysis
Linus Torvalds snarls at openSUSE desktop Linux's security | ZDNet
Linus Toravalds was not happy to learn he had to use the root password to make even minor corrections to openSUSE's desktop settings and he let go with a tirade on Google+. Veteran technology journalist, Steven J Vaughan-Nichols reports.
CSS: From Screen to Print and Beyond | Input Output
CSS has solved numerous issues for web designers over the years and two new modules involving paged media will take it to a new level, letting designers have new more flexible ways of dealing with overflow content instead of simply requiring users to scroll to see more.
Mercedes-Benz Brings Siri To Their Cars | @PSFK
Mercedes-Benz announced a new feature for its A class cars that will allow drivers to interact with their iPhones using Siri voice commands. According to the article, "The program, called the Drive Kit Plus will work in conjunction with Mercedes-Benz’ Digital DriveStyle App to translate the iPhone’s screen onto the in-car system screen." Sounds pretty cool.
Cloud Enables Big Business to Play Like SMBs | Cloud Zone
The cloud is the great equalizer for large and small businesses alike. It gives small business the ability to use the same services as large ones and gain from the more stringent requirements large businesses have, and it lets large businesses be more flexible and agile like small ones.
Photo by Ron Miller Used under Creative Commons License.
Posted on Fri, Nov 18, 2011
It's Friday and that means it's time for our weekly feature where we search the Web looking for 5 interesting, funny and poignant links for developers and IT Pros.If you missed our other post this week, The Benefits of HTML5 Are Growing More Apparent, please have a look now. It covers how even before Adobe announced it was ending development of Mobile Flash, it was clear that HTML5 was on the rise. The announcement only reinforced it.If you like what you see here, please consider subscribing and if you have something to say, please feel free to leave a comment and let us know what you think.And here we go with this week's links:Agile Slaves - SD TimesAs Agile celebrated its 10th birthday earlier this year, one author looks back at the retrospective and the responses of the original architects of the Agile vision and wonders if it's kept its promise or if many organizations are just going through the motions.Managing Android Tablets, Smartphones - Tom's IT ProAs more Android devices make their way into the enterprise, you might think that managing them could be a nightmare, but there are ways to do it. This article explains.A Web Developer Speaks: Flash Player is Dead. HTML5 isn't ready. Long live AIR! - ZDNetA Flash developer throws all the cards on the table and he's not happy about Adobe's plans to abandon Flash and he doesn't think HTML5 is nearly ready. He believes the answer could lie with Air 3. Do you agree?How to Reduce Your Mission Critical Footprint - ReadWriteWebWe all know that organizations have mission critical apps, and these are the most important ones to keep up and running, but how do you determine which ones are really mission critical and which ones are less so?Scrum Master – a Visionary or a Beat Cop? - An Agile ReadMeThis article explores the role of the Scrum Master on the development team and why some companies don't have a clue about Scrum or the Scrum Master role.Note: We'll be off next Friday in observance the Thanksgiving holiday in the US. See you in two weeks.Photo courtesy of Wade Courtney Photography
Posted on Fri, Jul 08, 2011
It's Friday and that means it's time for our weekly feature where we search the Web looking for 5 interesting, funny and poignant links for developers and IT Pros.If you like what you see here, please consider subscribing and if you have something to say, please feel free to leave a comment and let us know what you think.And her we go with this week's links:The Natural Way to Cutting Energy Use - Input OutputIf you're running a data center, it costs money to keep the lights on and it costs money to keep the system cool. This article offers some practical advice on cutting your energy costs.The Great Browser Support Problem - TechniqueWhen it comes to Internet Explorer 6 and other older browsers, should you support them or not? It's not an easy decision, but this article looks at the pros and cons of different approaches to this vexing problem.Dancing with Pigs - The Scrum AllianceOK, so maybe it's not the best image of how to keep a Scrum moving smoothly through the development process, but it is a dance of sorts and this post explains how to keep the music playing, pigs and all.BlackBerry PlayBook vs. HP TouchPad: A tale of two failures - ZDNetRIM and HP were supposed to develop tablets for the enterprise, but when it came to delivery they choked. What happened? Both devices have great designs, but what killed them was poor delivery and marketing execution.7 Self-Inflicted Wounds Of Cloud Computing -- InformationWeekIs cloud computing hurting itself? This author thinks so and offers 7 areas he believes that cloud marketers missed the mark.Photo by Tomma Henckel. Used under Creative Commons License.
Posted on Thu, May 26, 2011
Welcome back to another week of our regular weekly feature, five links for developers and IT Pros, where we search the net looking interesting, insightful or funny links of interest to people who work in IT.
If you missed our post earlier this week, The Battle for the Cloud Front End, please check it out. We discuss the on-going battle to control access to the cloud from the enterprise. Hint: It involves big players like VMware and Google. And as always, please leave a comment and share your thoughts (unless you're a Spammer, then stay away). And now on with this week's links: What does the Scrum Master do all day? - The SCRUM Blog Does the Scrum Master act as lord and master over all he surveys, busting the chops of any who dare defy his ruthless reign? Not exactly. This post explains what it's really all about -- keeping projects moving forward and acting as a buffer against outside distractions to name just a couple of tasks.Software Testing Enters the Cloud - TechWellThe whole enterprise software infrastructure has moved to the cloud so why not software testing too? But when it comes to virtualization and the notion of distributed computing, there are going to be challenges and this article looks at what you are up against trying to perform software testing in the cloud.It's the Human Threat, Stupid - CSO OnlineHere you are thinking that technology is the big threat to your computer security, when it's people. If you doubt this, look no further than the Wikileaks diplomatic emails, which were carried out of a secure facility by one determined individual.The Pros and Cons of SSD in the Enterprise - CIOUpdate.comSSD is cool. It's fast. It's new, but is it right for the enterprise. It may be too soon and too expensive just yet for most users.Don’t Be Perfect - Software Quality ConnectionHere you were thinking that to get ahead as a software tester, you needed to be perfect, but this post is here to tell you that perfection might be overrated.
Photo by dno1967b on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons License.
Posted on Thu, Apr 21, 2011
Welcome back. It's another week of our five links for developers and IT pros. Throughout the week, we scour the Web looking for the best links of interest to folks who program and work in the IT trenches. Earlier this week, we published a post called Cloud Foundry Full or Promise and Possible Pitfalls, which explores VMware's open Platform as a Service (PaaS) offering. If you haven't read it, please do, and if you like what you see here, please consider subscribing. And now the 5 links: What Monty Python Taught Me About the Software Industry - Software Quality Connection In this amusing and poignant post, we learn what software development and Monty Python have in common. Hint: It's not the comfy chair. Come for the classic Monty Python sketch videos, stay for the good writing. The (sorry) state of software security - CSO Online - Security and Risk A recent report from Veracode found that of more than 4800 applications tested, 58 percent were considered to have an "unacceptable level of security." Ouch. Maybe it's time you took your software security more seriously. Just saying. How to Earn Your Data Center Merit Badge - DevCentral How do you earn that Data Center Merit badge you've been craving? It's easy. You put policies and procedures in place to prevent problems *before* they occur. Sounds easy enough, right? Read this and learn how.Lazy Developers Hate Agile and Scrum - Agile ScoutThem there's fighting words, sir, but is it true that developers are just afraid of the discipline Scrum and Agile bring to a project? Check out this discussion. Is it really about fear of transparency and exposure?Tape Backup: Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic - Storage Bytes NowHow do you continue effective off-site backup, as your data pile grows ever larger? Some companies are finding old-fashioned tape and a truck is faster than the cloud when your data store is too large, but it's not a viable long-term solution. The question is what do we do instead?
Photo by Rev Dan Catt on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons License.
Posted on Fri, Apr 01, 2011
It's April Fool's Day, but we're not here to play a joke on you. Like every Friday, we're here to give you five great links for IT pros and developers. If you missed our posts earlier this week, please check them out, and if you like what you see here, please consider subscribing.Without further ado, this week's links:The worst code base I’ve seen in my life - ioannis cherouvim blog.In this humorous bitter-sweet post, a software engineer describes his experience slogging through the worst code mess he's ever seen. Reading it should at the very least make you feel a little bit better about your current situation.Three Years of Scrum at Socialtext - Software Quality Connection.The programming drama continues as one writer describes his experience using the Scrum programming methodology at his employer. It's a positive look at how one company manages its programming schedules. Be prepared purists, this is not a standard Scrum implementation.5 Reasons Why People Uninstall an Application - DeskMetrics.Is it your program or is there is another reason people simply uninstall your master work? Here are 5 reasons your users are uninstalling, and yes some of them you can fix.Do-It-Yourself Mobile Apps for Small Business - Small Business Computing.Small business owners might think that mobile apps are too expensive and out of their reach, but they would be wrong. This article walks you through everything you need to know to build your own mobile apps. Can't Find a Job You Like? Become a Self-Employed IT Consultant - TechTarget.Not everyone is cut out for the 9-5 grind and this piece focuses on one IT pro who had enough and went out on his own. Might not be for everyone, but check out this article and see if you think it's right for you.Photo by tangi_bertin on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons License.
Posted on Fri, Mar 11, 2011
Welcome back to the Friday 5 -- our choices for the week's best links for IT pros and developers. Sorry we missed last week, but ran into a travel glitch while on the road.
If you didn't see our post earlier this week on Browser vs. Apps Argument is a Non-Starter, please check it out. It's our most popular post ever and we're very proud.
Now for this weeks links:
Business, Not IT Should Set Priorities - FierceCIO
There has been an on-going discussion about whether users, business or IT should be setting technology priorities in the enterprise. This writer takes a stand for business.
When Bad Software Requirements Happen to Good People - Software Quality Connection
This primer explains how to make a good software requirements document that strikes the right balance between too much information and too little.
Scrum and Release Planning - Agile and Scrum
Does the Scrum model leave room for release planning or is that too much like Waterfall?
With Frustration Growing, Microsoft Quietly Delays First Windows Phone Update Again - Paul Thurott, Windows IT Pro
Long-time Windows writer Paul Thurott writes about his frustration with the delays for the first update to Windows Phone 7 and how he's getting tired of waiting.
Is Cloud Boon or Bane for IT Staffers? - CIO Update
It looks like some jobs will be lost as enteprises shift to the cloud, but others will replace them, not to worry.
Photo by chintermeyer on Flickr. Used under the Creative Commons License.
Posted on Fri, Jan 28, 2011
Welcome back to another week of our weekly Five for Friday feature where we share five links from around the Web that are relevant to our blog's coverage area. It's always important for readers to get a range of perspectives and sharing links in this manner provides a way to do that.Without further adieu, here are this week's links:How FluidDB Built an API for BoingBoing in an Evening - ReadWriteWebThis article combines a couple of interesting trends. First of all it covers the importance of APIs in sharing and moving data across applications, and it also touches on the area of data sharing on the Web, which is Web creator Tim Berners-Lee's next goal -- not just a web of documents, but a web of data.7 Hot Trends in Mobile App Design - MashableThis article provides an overview of some tricks that developers are using to make their mobile apps a bit more interesting for users. If you're thinking about designing a new mobile app at your organization, this can give you a starting point in the design process.Estimating in Scrum : Breaking away from time based estimates - Sputnik CodingThis post looks at the time estimate debate in the Scrum model, covering the notion of velocity versus time in Scrum. It's a bit abstract, but if you're discussing the finer points of Scrum in your organization, it provides a good fodder for discussion.McGrath: DoD becoming more 'open' to agile, holistic IT acquisition - FierceGovernmentITThe Department of Defense is looking at agile programming and that tells you it's becoming more main stream. While, the DoD spokesperson seems a bit tepid calling it "more of thought process than a methodology," it's still telling that the military is looking at this as a way to speed up the development process. With Cloud, What You Don't Know Can Hurt You - InformationWeekWriter Charles Babcock doesn't say you shouldn't buy cloud services, only that you should tread carefully and understand the service you are using. The article uses the new Amazon Elastic Beanstalk scaling service as a point of reference because it only supports Java apps using Apache Tomcat.
Photo by bibendum84 on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons License.
Posted on Fri, Jan 21, 2011
Welcome to the Five for Friday, our weekly feature of links from around the Web. We hope you find these links interesting and informative. If you want to share some of your own links, please feel free to add them in the comments section below.Let's get started:Agile Myth Busters - Leading Answers BlogThis post looks at some common myths about agile programming as a way of starting a discussion. Have a look and see if you recognize any of these from your conversations in your organization. Chances are you've seen some of them and maybe you can add some of your own.iPhone, iPad leading Android in mobile enterprise adoption - AppleInsiderAppleInsider reports on a new study from Good Technology, which found that Apple is leading the way among smart phone providers for new users inside the enterprise. What's surprising to me though is that charts don't even list RIM, which could mean they aren't getting much in terms of new users (although they likely do have a lot of existing ones). Meanwhile, Microsoft clearly still has a lot of work to do.Why Scrum Works - ScrumAllianceThis well written and organized post describes some of the factors that help explain why the Scrum approach works. It provides some of the key components and gives a good starting point for people trying to understand the Scrum model, as well as those trying to find arguments for it inside your company.Cloud+Apps=New Enterprise Paradigm? - CIOTechnology journalist Pam Baker explores the growing App phenomenon and the impact it will have on the enterprise. Baker looks at the idea of an Enterprise App Store, whether in-house or external sites where enterprises can buy the software and services they need. Could this be the future of enterprise software? Leave a comment with your opinion.Bitzer Mobile Introduces Enterprise Virtualized Mobility Solution - TMCnetBitzer Mobile introduced a new tool this week to create a virtualized mobile solution. The idea is to create a virtual container into which Enterprise IT can give mobile users more secure access to enterprise data and applications. This is an intriguing approach that could help solve part of the enterprise mobile puzzle by giving users access to enterprise data independent of the device they are using.
Photo by kristyhall on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons License.