“Which database is the best?” Superlatives are dangerous. They pressure you to line up the alternatives in a row, judge them all, make the perfect decision. This implies that databases can be compared based on internal qualities. Performance, reliability, scalability, integrity, what else is there? We know better than that. We recognize that relational databases, …
Today my daughter overslept and I had to take her to school. Usually when that happens, I get all grouchy and resentful. Dammit, I thought I’d get a nice quiet coffee but NO, I’m scraping ice off the car. Today I didn’t mind. It was fine. It’s the first day back after winter break, so …
It’s difficult for an executive to criticize a budget when most line items are for mysterious high technology activities. It’s easier to tackle the more understandable portions, like postage, janitorial services, and consulting. Jerry Weinberg We want to help. We want to do stuff. We look for matches between what needs done and what we …
Today I brought up a load of laundry. When doing chores, I practice keeping WIP (work in progress) to a minimum. Finish each thing, then do another one. This is good training for code. For instance, on the way up the stairs with the basket, I saw a tumbleweed of cat hair. I didn’t pick …
Games aren’t much “fun” when rules, rather than relationships, dominate the activity, when there is no attention to “flow,” “fairness,” “respect” and “nice.” Dr. Linda Hughes, “Beyond the Rules of the Game: Why Are Rooie Rules Nice?” At a past job, we played Hearts every day at lunch. Out of a core group of 6-8, …
When you spot a distasteful waste, ask: does this waste speed me up, or does this waste slows me down forever?
Logic and culture have nothing to do with one another. Jerry Weinberg, The Secrets of Consulting A friend of mine works for a large government organization that runs a dam, extracting electricity from water and gravity. They have internal software development, of course, and my friend described some impressive obstacles to change. Deploying a new …
Today before breakfast, we started the dishwasher. I think they might have been clean already, but when I saw Avdi loading all the dirty cups from the counters in, I didn’t complain. Today making scrambled eggs, I didn’t have my favorite spatula. It was in the dishwasher. Dang it! This is a danger of running …
Most software gets harder to change as it ages. Making modern applications, it is not enough to write a system and put it out there. We need continual improvement and adaptation to the growing world. How can we develop and operate increasingly useful software? To answer this, I need a mental model of how software …
Read moreHow can we develop and operate increasingly useful software?
In a big new project, where do you start? My dad bought this old building, and he’s turning it into an antique mall. It’s a huge project: two floors of shopping plus a gallery and museum at the top. Yesterday he showed me what he’s done so far. In the basement, he added support beams …