This is pretty huge, because depending on how restrictive the sandbox is we could run Scala, Groovy, Jython, JRuby, etc. on top of the same VM. Now if I can just get my head around non-relational databases.

Our work process is a dream.

We have to build all the structures in our mind, piece by piece, and then translate them into code. Developers don’t just sit down, write out code using standardised formulas, and call it a day. No, we have to build an imaginary house of cards in our minds and then painstakingly transform every angle, force, and material into logic code, all without waking from the dream. It is a creative process, and one not easily replicated.

Now, imagine you were in deep sleep, dreaming away about apples at 3am, and I came bashing into your room and said “Sorry, but we need you to dream about bananas now.” Do you think you could go straight back to sleep in a few seconds, dream about bananas for a bit, and then jump back to your original dream about apples? No, of course not, but this is what managers expect when they throw new tasks at us while we’re busy coding the first one. When this happens we’ve lost the hours we’ve spent on the first dream, we’re completely lost for half an hour, and then we eventually manage to get into the new dream.

So please, if you want your developers to remain sane and productive do not wake them from their dream!

p.s. also make sure they’re not doing the same work year after year, there’s nothing that developers hate more than repeating themselves.

Update: On the internet, nothing is new: http://alexthunder.livejournal.com/309815.html

You also get access to the Google account service, which cements Google as the omnipresent internet god. A bit scary, but oh so convenient. Let’s hope they follow their motto “don’t be evil”! There’s no SQL capabilities, but you can use GQL to access a datastore based on Google’s ridiculously scalable and fail-safe architecture. There’s also standard access to email and URL fetch services so you can communicate with users and web services.

I can’t wait to see the Ruby on Rails firebrands’ inevitable response. I’ve come for an argument! No you haven’t.

Todd Hoff’s put up some details from his first look on HighScalability.com.

The platform provides an operating system, middleware, and key applications standardised across devices so the developer can program an application using Java and be guaranteed that it will run on any Android supporting device in the same way.

Great news for developers and consumers alike. We’re going to see some fantastic innovations in the mobile space now that it’s feasible. Especially since Google is jump-starting Android development by running a competition with $10 million in awards.

My favourite feature is that the standard email, calendar, etc. programs that come with your phone will be written on top of Android as well. So any other application can access the same data subject to security constraints, and you’ll even be able to replace core applications with your own. Great news if you hate the way your phone’s calendar works, but love the rest.

When he arrived, he walked around for a few minutes, surveying the presses; then he approached one of the control panels and opened it. He removed a dime from his pocket, turned a screw 1/4 of a turn, and said, “The presses will now work correctly.” After being profusely thanked, he was told to submit a bill for his work.

The bill arrived a few days later, for $10,000.00! Not wanting to pay such a huge amount for so little work, the printer was told to please itemize his charges, with the hope that he would reduce the amount once he had to identify his services. The revised bill arrived: $1.00 for turning the screw; $9,999.00 for knowing which screw to turn.

Commentary: most debugging problems are fixed easily; identifying the location of the problem is hard.

The key here is that you must call setExtendedState after any pack() methods, else it has no effect and you’ll spend two hours searching google and cursing Swing…trust me on this.

Unfortunately, my lovingly updated version of the Hemingway wordpress theme had an old version of widgets called Blocks, so I was missing out on all the new widgets being developed. Now I’ve updated the theme to use a combination of blocks and widgets, so you can mix and match to your heart’s content.

Update: Details are maintained on the Ninja Monkeys! Theme – Widgetized Hemingway for WordPress 2.2+ page now.

With so much software getting developed, you’d think we’d get exactly what we need, but for some reason software developers don’t listen to customers as closely as they should.

What piece of software do you really need that doesn’t exist yet?

Maybe we can get some software developers to pay attention.

1. Pessimistic in the short term when facing reality, but optimistic in the long term. Faith that you will prevail in the end, without ignoring the harsh facts of reality.
2. Angered by sloppy code.
3. Long-term life planners. Shows that you have the ability to plan in the long-term in other areas.
4. Attention to detail

Rob hit the nail on the head here. My experience has shown these traits to be the most important in hiring excellent programmers. And they’re good to keep in mind when trying to improve your own skills. Learning the latest programming language to fill your CV up is only worthwhile in the short term, for the long term you need to focus on improving these four traits. Link to original article

[tags]programming, software development, personality, hiring[/tags]