Should you ponder the ethics of cloud apps you create?

Let's do some supposin'. Suppose you work for a giant, global manufacturer. The company might make air conditioners. Or diesel-powered cars. Suppose you're given detailed specifications for an embedded software project that disguises the operating status of a product being designed. Suppose the...
Building cloud apps? What about the specs?

Whatever language(s) you happen to use for coding applications and services, there's no doubt that you are among the world's best it. You've got the skill, the talent, the insight, and the brains to write efficient, compact code that runs flawlessly.
But, from what
Not exactly best practices

Yesterday (Sept. 24), I attended a cloud summit seminar sponsored by the Object Management Group's Cloud Standards Customer Council. This was not about scrutinizing lines of code, but rather, an examination of real-world situations as seen through...
What not to do in the cloud — “Cloud Anti-Patterns”
Sometimes the best ideas start with a rant. At least that’s what happened to Mallika Iyer, a Cloud Foundry specialist at Pivotal who helps clients either start or expand their cloud efforts. After a particularly frustrating day, Iyer was complaining to...
Have you forgotten about Windows?

We're all so busy reading (you) or writing (me) about developing apps for cloud and mobile platforms, it's getting pretty tough to find much in the way of Windows coverage. If you've forgotten about Windows on the desktop, you may be making a mistake. Certainly, we all know the PC is dead,...
What is a software engineer? Not even IBM knows

We're all aware that as cloud applications grow in importance, businesses are clamoring to hire more software engineers. They might work in mobile application development, database design and administration, security, communications, analytics, or somewhere else. While most businesses...
Last year’s iOS mobile cloud apps are so last year

And just like that, all the mobile cloud apps you worked so hard to build and deploy for iOS 8 throughout the past year are now woefully, utterly obsolete. Sure they are. If your mobile apps don't support iOS 9's snazzy new 3D Touch technology, you are, well, out of touch. The technology was...
Can your cloud apps handle interrupted transactions?

When someone using your mobile cloud app begins a transaction and communications is unexpectedly lost, what happens on both the device and server sides when that break is detected? And what actions follow when communications is restored, likely in a completely new session? These are important...