Software developers create an intangible product — software — to define the initial configuration of a processor’s memory. The right memory configuration causes a processor to do what it’s supposed to do. We all tend to refer to the text representations of code as ‘software’ — when in fact, this text is just one step … continue reading
Software innovation can be constrained by scope limitations, and the barriers created by artificial silos in existing systems and organizations. But help is at hand. This article looks at two very different approaches — the application of systems engineering, and customer-centric thinking. Legacy sets limits In the early days of a software development project, there … continue reading
Let’s imagine… Jump a few years into the future. All the hoopla about IoT is history. A lot of equipment comes with network interfaces. The software embedded in the equipment uses resources on the network to get its job done. Imagine a new machine being installed in a factory. It’s in position, the mechanical setup … continue reading
Interactive software needs users to guide it through a process. But many steps have been or can be automated. The promise of machine learning is to automate any remaining un-automated steps. How should a software architect find the limits of automation and the right role for people in a system? In the early days of … continue reading
If you can estimate – to the right order of magnitude – the significant quantities in your software system, you will have a much better chance of making good decisions about architecture, algorithms, data structures and deployment. By the numbers The single point I want to focus on is the role of numbers in decision … continue reading
I believe there is a part of the rich history of software development that will be a guiding light, and will support creation of the software that will run the Internet of Things (IoT). It’s all a question of scope. Figure 1 is a six-layer architecture, showing what I consider to be key functional and … continue reading
Replacement of data entry with data sensing can enable better, faster, and more relevant results from application software. But it’s important for software architects to see that this change means they are setting a course for their application away from decision support and toward control. Find the data Let’s start with a manufacturing example. People … continue reading
There’s no room for uncertainty in the software that responds to a machine’s “Emergency Stop” button. At first sight, software inspired by nature (biomimetic software) delivers more uncertainty than answers. But maybe that’s an illusion. Software development is full of new, reinvented and changing concepts, items and structures. One concept that has always captured the … continue reading
Manufacturers in a wide range of product sectors are exploring and exploiting the opportunities of the Internet of Things (IoT). The software for IoT comes in two distinct flavors, each created and maintained by its own tribe of software engineers. First, the engineering tribe looks after the software embedded inside the product. This controls the … continue reading
There’s a pattern in technology pricing, and the signs are that this pattern is emerging again for many of the technologies associated with the Internet of Things (IoT). Cambashi calls the pattern the “Henshell Curve” because it was a discussion with Cambashi associate Dr. Richard Henshell that crystallized our thinking into the price development trend … continue reading
