November, 2007

Testing Application Changes - Test Data vs “Live”

So you have completed making the small changes required in your application, you have tested, you have debugged, you’ve done “everything” right!  But alas, your application goes “live” and — problems!  Strange error messages are being generated faster than the eye can follow!  You find yourself saying “I’ve never seen that error before –”  (…or perhaps you’re thinking more along the lines of “…<expletive deleted>…”!  Whatever the thought process going on at that point, you have to act fast.  Continued »

Expectations in Software Development

I’ve heard it said before that an expectation unfullfilled leads to upset, and I must honestly say that I buy into that 100%.  How many times have we begun using a new piece of software with an expectation (or 2 or 3) that was left unfulfilled once we started using the software?  I believe that I can say for certain that it has happened to each of us on at least one occasion - leaving us upset because the expectation (probably unrecognized and undefined beforehand) was not met. 

With this in mind, I would like to explore some thoughts regarding just what some unspoken expectations for software are. Continued »

Technical Communities - A Valuable Resource

Among the most valuable resources available over the internet are the various technical communities within which one can find and exchange information on any of the multitude of hot, cool and NOT so hot topics of interest to those involved in the technical side of providing IT services.  Whether one is an independent software developer such as I, or an individual contributor in a large IT organization, the value of these resources is immeasureable. 

In my own experience what I have found is that the most valuable of these on-line resources to me personally are those which are comprised of a group of individuals who have a somewhat narrow area of interest - specific perhaps to a product, or a very specific area of technology.  Continued »

Time to Redesign? - An Application Development Quandary

No, I do NOT belong to the writers guild, and am NOT on strike.  So much to say, so little time in which to say it! 

I awoke this morning thinking about my latest quandary — whether to just give up on maintaining the non-working component of my application, or to continue my efforts to come out of my predicament by means of a “breakthrough” which suddenly fixes the problem.  (So far this morning I have chosen to blog about it instead of working on it — somehow hoping that I talk my way through to a fix.) Continued »

What Constitutes Good Program Code?

Good program code first and foremost just “works” as expected, does the job for which it was designed, and provides trouble free operation in a timely fashion.  Working, however, is only one component of good program code.  There are certainly many other aspects to good program code which must be considered, but how does one evaluate program code to say “…this is good code”.?  “Good” program code is an especially elusive label, based upon criteria that is as individual as each programmer.  (Now that’s a scary thought - I’m glad Halloween is over!) Continued »