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How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the New Axis of Evil (Oracle)
6 Comments | Posted by Dave in Companies
There’s a wide sense of lament since Oracle has taken over Sun and their intellectual property, including MySQL, Java, Solaris and their hardware sales business. I’d say the average observer of this process might use the terms “slow moving train wreck”. I doubt they are far off on this one.
Read more on How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the New Axis of Evil (Oracle)…
An experiment, posted on LessWrong.com that led to a further diatribe on rationality and rational thinking traps got me thinking too. Here’s the problem:
Once upon a time, there was an instructor who taught physics students. One day she called them into her class, and showed them a wide, square plate of metal, next to a hot radiator. The students each put their hand on the plate, and found the side next to the radiator cool, and the distant side warm. And the instructor said, Why do you think this happens? Some students guessed convection of air currents, and others guessed strange metals in the plate. They devised many creative explanations, none stooping so low as to say “I don’t know” or “This seems impossible.“
Read more on Why Does Simplicity Escape Programmers?…
Recently, I was the happy recipient of some very condescending “advice” from the architecture group of a client. The tone, quality and delivery of the information completely overwhelmed the actual message (some of which was actually relevant, and some was off in left field). This pleasant experience reminding me why the term “software architect” has come to be synonymous in some circles with “arrogant jerk who forgot what it’s like to code on a real project”.
Read more on How to Avoid Being the Asshole Architect…
Quick! Answer the following question without thinking about it:
How would you rate your programming skills? (Below Average, Average, or Above Average)
Based on psychological studies across many different groups, about 90% of all programmers will answer “Above Average”.
Read more on The Problem With ‘Above Average Programmers’…
If you walked into a store and asked to have someone make you a suit and you agreed on a price of $100 and week’s sewing time, a week later you’d expect to walk back in and be trying on your new suit after parting with a $100 bill (at least in America).
Read more on The Outsourcing Low Cost Lie…
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Walking Into The Wrong Bathroom: Lack of Affordances
2 Comments | Posted by Dave in Software
Jakob Nielsen recently published his report on iPad’s usability and application interface consistency. To no one’s surprise, he discovered a few issues.
What was the main problem Jakob uncovered? Many iPad applications aren’t obvious to use: non standard controls, confusing graphics, and counter-intuitive metaphors. In psychology parlance, it’s because these apps lack constraints and affordances.
Read more on Walking Into The Wrong Bathroom: Lack of Affordances…
So, think you’ve got what it takes to be a consultant? Feeling the itch because your current job isn’t motivating you like it used to?
The independence, prospect of better money and the potential for starting your own business make this idea very seductive. A million others have tread this path before you so you’d think it would be easy, right?
Read more on Secrets of Successful Consultants Revealed…
Top Ten Reasons Babies are better than the iPad
- Babies eventually grow up to be better than their fathers.
- Babies get cuter as they get older. Think those fingerprints on your screen will get any cuter?
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Top Three Motivators For Developers (Hint: not money!)
29 Comments | Posted by Dave in Developers
Software has long since lost its glory-days status. We’re not the go-to field anymore. Geeks are no longer revered as gods amongst humanity for our ability to manipulate computers. We get crappy jobs just like everyone else.
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I’ve mentioned a number of software laws in various posts, like Cargill’s Ninety Nine Rule, or Occam’s Razor. And there are tons of laws that you probably already know, like Metcalfe’s Law or Moore’s Law.
Read more on Stop Breaking These Laws (of Software)…
