Posted September 16th, 2008 by dpx
TechRepublic’s Sanity check blog recently posted an article titled “Is Microsoft for grown-ups and Google for kids?” I posted a reply this entry because I think there is value in both. Go read the original and then read my reply reposted below:
I would choose to work at either given the chance. I think they are both great companies and they both still have a good chance at innovation in their arenas of choice. If antitrust weren’t such a big issue I would like to see some collaboration from the two groups - developer “swapping” is a good way to do that under the covers, whether the two giants know it or not.
As for the perpetual beta, I’d like to think that is a design choice. When a product goes from alpha to beta, the developer is left in a state of mind where “this is okay and it’s going to work, but my work isn’t done. There’s more to be had here.” When a product ships into “release” mode, it’s all about bug fixes and QA and the developer gets into the mindset of “oh this is a major product I have to fix bugs now - push that innovation to the shelf.”
When was the last time you saw Microsoft push out an awesome feature into a shipped Office product? Or even a major web based product such as Hotmail? Google lets their developers continue to innovate without the pressure of “shipped” software. If you choose to trust their developers to fix their software and add innovative features, then Google is the ship for you. If you’d rather wait around for Patch Tuesday for 2 years and then get a “new” release of a product - that you pay for again - which is really just 2 years of patches and a face lift, Microsoft is a better bet.
I enjoy Microsoft’s development platform a little more. The .NET framework is awesome, and the development tools are top notch. Google is pushing their ideas and advancements, but they are using other people’s languages to do so (Python, perl, JavaScript, etc). I like to take advantage of both and use Google’s APIs in .NET projects. I get enterprise level language and IDE tools, and web enabled data APIs and services.
For example, I’m working on a map project right now for the college for which I work. The project code itself is written in .NET, makes called to Microsoft SQL Server and PostGRES (with PostGIS) databases, and uses WCF to offer all of the API calls in SOAP services so others can build on our work. However, I’m using Google’s Maps APIs because they are innovative and recognized. We can push out a single service layer API that we use in Google Maps, Google Earth, and Flash for Maps APIs.
In this manner, I get enterprise tested code such as the Enterprise Library on the backend, and cutting edge front-end code from Google. It really is an awesome combination, and I hope to blog more about the project as it progresses.
Another thing to note about the project is that I’m using a lot of open source utilities in the GIS technology sector. Again, taking the best of all possible solutions instead of a vendor specific solution seems to work best for me. I could have gone with .NET, Microsoft Live, and ASP.NET AJAX, but I don’t htink that’s the best thing to do. Microsoft backend code, Google’s web APIs, and OGC’s GIS standards are what works for me.
Tags: .NET, google, Google Maps, Microsoft, OGC, open standards
Posted September 12th, 2008 by dpx
So, my wife’s family decided to stick it out in a hotel in Houston instead of driving the extra 45 minutes and coming up to Bryan/College Station to stay with us. She called them about an hour ago and they have lost power, and are stuck in a hotel room. Three people and two large dogs, no power, no air conditioner, and 50+ mph winds blowing outside.
So the question is, why? We asked them to come up and stay with us. We knew Houston wasn’t the place to be for this huge hurricane! But, now all we can do is call and tell them how nice the air conditioning and TV updates are. I hope they are okay through the rest of the storm.
Anyway, I think this may be a lesson learned for them. Next time, they should come hang with us and the granddaughter. We’ll check back in with them later as long as the cell towers hold out in Houston.
Tags: family, Hurricane Ike
Posted September 12th, 2008 by dpx
Well, we’re sitting around here waiting for the storm to come along. We’ve put all our patio stuff in the shed and brought all the animals in. We stocked up on fresh water, batteries, flashlights, etc. Washed all the clothes and dishes in case we lose power. Now we just wait.
I’m actually a little excited about this. I think we’re far enough out of the danger zone that we’ll get a lot of heavy rain and some heavy winds, but we’re not in danger of being flooded out or anything. We’ll probably lose power, and definitely internet and TV (both satellite).
So until then, I’ll drop some links on here to the resources I’ve been tracking the storm with. The first being The Weather Channel, who has been doing all day broadcasts from Houston and Galveston. I’m really enjoying the stories they are bringing, and the fact that they are keeping it fresh. The second resource is the Storm Pulse website, which has a large map of the projected path with updates from the National Hurricane Center at regular intervals.
More updates to come - as long as the Internet is up!
Tags: bad weather, bryan weather, Hurricane Ike
Posted September 11th, 2008 by dpx
So I really haven’t blogged here about my love of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) yet. I tried to get some of the folks in my last group to catch onto the idea, but it just didn’t take. Part of it was the culture, and part of it was the disconnect between the idea and the implications.
At the university I work for, we have a LOT of data pushed around, and all that data is still living in silos. SOA has not really caught on here yet, and I’m afraid it’s going to be a while before it gets there. Sure, we have Single Sign On (SSO), and most services now have an online presence, but they do not collaborate together.
This article on TechRepublic - Converting batch load processes into real-time processes - hits the nail on the head. With a large hammer.
One of the applications I’m working on currently is the campus maps application. I wrote the first version, and am pretty disappointed in it myself. It has the potential to be so much more. The problem is that the data in that system is data that I put there - not data that comes from real domain experts. I did not have any time or buy in to collaborate more openly with other groups. I also didn’t have the time to become a transit expert, a facilities coordinator, or any other kind of expert other than a web expert.
Now that I do have that time, I’m finding that other groups just aren’t ready to share that data. They do not have web service enabled systems. Many of them still use manual processes and publish in formats that are not easily consumed by computers.
A realization needs to occur around here - a renaissance of sorts - that when you share your data with others in a way that makes it easy for them to consume from you, it makes you that much more valuable. I don’t want to maintain a list of bus routes. I don’t want to maintain a list of restaurants and coffee shops. I really don’t want to maintain a list of buildings. But I want to consume all of that data in a system I know best - the web!
So, universities, plan for the future. Develop web services, not web entry points. Develop with the idea that if your data is important enough to share on the web, it’s probably important enough that someone else may want to use it in some unique way you didn’t think of. Maybe even in a way you don’t want to deal with, but they do. Sure, throw up those entry points, but do so with the backing of an open web service.
Tags: BPI, data sharing, SOA, universities, web maps
Posted September 11th, 2008 by dpx
I have the luxury of working in an office that does not do cost recovery. We do, however, still have to give our clients time estimates from time to time. It helps us plan out our release cycles and give our customers some expectations. More often than not though, our “estimations” come from clients who say they need a project done by x/x/xx because of factors a, b, and c.
I have seen a lot of talk within the AgileBCS group about project estimation, and usually it ends with “yea…it’s a tough problem.” Indeed, it is, and usually every project seems to be unique in some way or another with regards to estimation.
Anyway, I ran across a reposted TechRepublic article today titled Estimate a project’s bottom line using top-down techniques. The interesting thing about this article is that it was originally posted in June of 2001. A lot of the techniques are still in use and come with different names now, usually correlated to a specific methodology it promotes.
An interesting read and an interesting discovery that in business terms, tech projects really have not gone a really long way to becoming more accurate.
Tags: a, agile, Programming, project estimation
Posted September 11th, 2008 by dpx
Well, for everyone who showed up, thank you very much. I enjoyed presenting, and I’m sorry I went a little long. I’ll work on that. Anywhere, here are the files you need to recreate this. Remember that to run this you must have XDebug installed, and the filter PECL module.
To use the subversion dump, first create a repository:
$ svnadmin create repo
Then uncompress the dump and import it:
$ tar -zxf announcement_svn.tgz
$ svnadmin load path_to_repo < announcement_svn.dump
That’s it. Please leave comments or questions for me. And read through the SVN log as it explains what each step (revision) in the repository is for.
$ svn log | less
Tags: PHP, presentations, unit testing
Posted September 11th, 2008 by dpx
John McCain is blatantly trying to hijack Barrack Obama’s campaign branding efforts.
I’ve heard of brand hijacking before. For example, when Red Bull spent millions of dollars to brand themselves in the United States as an “energy drink”, only to have Monster, and even Cocoa Cola come in behind them with cheaper, bigger drinks, and steal their thunder. Now, that’s not to say Red Bull has lost their luster - they are considered the high end energy drink - the kind of thing you mix with good vodka in a bull and goose. But the damage was done.
Now John McCain and Sarah Palin are on their way to doing the exact same thing to Barrack Obama. Obama built a very successful campaign around the “Change” brand, and now McCain is running ads championing himself as THE agent of change. In essence, he is stealing Obama’s campaign ideas because his own ideas are not working, and would not work in this political climate. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: branding, McCain, Obama, Palin, Politics
Posted September 9th, 2008 by dpx
I have a Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 that I absolutely love. I do a LOT of typing in my job, and sometimes with normal keyboards I would get carpul tunnel symptoms (pain in the wrists, etc). After putting up with that for long enough, I switched to an ergonomic keyboard, and the difference was night and day. If you are at the right place and right time, you can catch me carrying my keyboard into work in the morning, and home after work (I’m saving up money for a second keyboard and a decent ergo mouse).
But that is not the topic for this article. The keyboard, when functional, is absolutely wonderful, and I recommend it to anyone who does a lot of typing. The reason for this post is actually my 1 year old daughter, her effect on my oh so wonderful keyboard, and why I think Microsoft ultimately failed here. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Hardware, hardware design, keyboards, Microsoft, thinkpad
Posted September 9th, 2008 by dpx
I will be giving a presentation on PHP Unit testing on Thursday for the BCS PHP Users Group. I’m fairly new to the new PHP world (object oriented, well designed PHP apps), but my pursuit of pragmatic programming skills has led me to bring a lot of my .NET experience to the table as well. I’m going to be covering a broad range of topics and hopefully bring the audience into the mix as well.
My topics include PHP Unit testing with PHPUnit, project automation with Ant, and automated documentation generation using PhpDocumentor. I’m also going to introduce Php CodeSniffer for styling.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: PHP, presentations, Programming, unit testing
Posted September 8th, 2008 by dpx
When is an old computer just an old computer that needs to be thrown away? I have several piled up in my room that are basically mementos of years past. A Packard Bell with Free Kevin and Bawls stickers on it. A previously handed down (that bad!!) cluster fuck of a machine I ran my first version of NetBSD on.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: inventory, old computers, old hardware