If it were illegal to program a computer, I’d have a machine under the floorboards. I sold my first program when I was 16 years old, in 1980, and with any luck I’ll be making my living this way for another couple decades. I’ve been trying to improve my craft for longer than some readers … continue reading
Microsoft releases SQL Server for Linux. Microsoft joins the Eclipse Foundation. Microsoft strikes a deep partnership with Red Hat. Microsoft open-sources .NET and C#. Microsoft releases Office for iOS. At this point we should collectively let our jaws rise to their natural closed position and understand that the game has changed. The reality is that … continue reading
More and more enterprises are realizing that a streamlined Continuous Delivery pipeline is an integral part of extracting maximum business value from the DevOps movement. The potential benefits of rolling out more frequent software deployments are enormous, but speed, agility and innovation must be balanced with stability and quality. Refocusing everything on delivering customer value … continue reading
Mobile apps are a necessity for companies of all sizes, and apps are getting more complex all the time. That along with the dizzying array of devices requires a well thought-out mobile testing strategy. And it will involve a bit of risk/reward analysis. Mobile apps come with inherent risks. For usability, compatibility and responsiveness testing, … continue reading
The concept of a minimum viable product (MVP) has been around for years. MVP embodies the hypothesis that it is better to first build the smallest version of a new product, only serving a subset of customers, before expanding. The idea is to learn in an efficient manner what the customers really want, so that … continue reading
Software testing is changing for the better with the rise of agile and DevOps. Instead of testing occurring at the end of the development cycle, modern methods integrate testing into every step of the process. By moving testing earlier, using Test-Driven Development (TDD), features can be released immediately after passing automated tests. TDD is becoming … continue reading
If you haven’t heard of polyglot persistence before, simply put, it means using different database technologies to handle specific needs. The term was derived from something else you may have heard: polyglot programming, which expresses the idea that applications should be written in a mix of languages to take advantage of the fact that different … continue reading
We in the software development community like to think we’re special: that building software is uniquely difficult. As special snowflakes, we cannot be held to the business standards required of projects based on assembling boring old atoms; we cannot say what we will build, what effort it will take, or when it will be completed. … continue reading
There was an interesting note put out by Gene Munster, the financial analyst most famous for being very prophetic with regard to Apple. He argues that Apple’s moves toward virtual reality, mixed reality and a 3D interface show that it is planning to make the iPhone obsolete. Your iPhone isn’t at risk now, but we … continue reading
Whether public, private or hybrid, the cloud has reached a tipping point in global business. It has emerged to be the de facto foundation for market-leading organizations seeking to develop, deploy and operationalize compelling customer experiences. And in the process, it has begun to transform entire industries. The cloud is the integrated platform for rapid … continue reading
If you work in a large company, you probably have application designers, developers and product managers. And, one of your biggest challenges is to get them to work together, on the same schedule, with the same understanding of what you’re creating. Jonathan Atkins is director of design for IBM Watson, having joined Big Blue about … continue reading
Consumers, empowered by rich software interactions with access to Internet resources, have never had more power or choices. DevOps provides a set of practices and cultural changes—supported by complementary tools—that automates the software delivery pipeline, enabling organizations to win, serve, and retain these consumers better and faster than ever before. (Related: Testing catches up to … continue reading
Android may be the last great untapped platform in mobile. While Apple recently bragged of a spike in Android-to-Apple user conversions, the fact remains that Google’s operating system had 1 billion to Apple’s 800 million users in 2014. Android is also the choice operating system in emerging markets, like India, which are believed to be … continue reading
Reports indicate that more than US$120 billion is flowing through the mobile application ecosystem. About half of that is generated by game companies and venture-backed unicorns; the other half from small and medium-sized businesses. Venture money doesn’t reach those companies, the ones who build mobile apps that sell for 99 cents, or that offer a … continue reading
