The value system and practices that embody Agile Software Development have been around for well over a decade, and have been touted as having "crossed the chasm" by organizations such as the Agile Alliance, Gartner, and Forrester Research. Numerous studies indicate...
This seems to be the age of “Big Data”. Every sector seems to have a need for it -- from biotechs doing genome sequencing, to financial providers mining market data. For many, the ability to store massive amounts of structured or unstructured data is the key to...
Have you ever sent out an email with a bunch of important questions and received a reply that began with "my answers are in blue". Have you then found yourself combing through your large email searching for those answers only to discover that your email provider...
Sometimes finding the information you want for IBM Rational ClearQuest can be a challenge -- and when you find something, it can be that the level of detail needed is not present. That's why we at SPK and Associates started this series of technical how to guides to...
I don't usually read autobiographies, but recently a close friend of mine suggested that I read "Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman!" Being bored with the book I was currently reading, I decided to give it a go. In it there is a chapter title "A Different Box of...
Lately, I've been refactoring some code for a software engineering project completed earlier this year and for which additional work is expected. As a result, I've come to the conclusion that doing occasional refactoring is an absolute must for any programmer. I...
New software may not be something you want to use or look at, but if you are in the IT services field, it is necessary. Windows 8 has been a controversial release with many people refusing to upgrade and use it, stating that it is a mistake by Microsoft. Despite...
As part of our software engineering services, I work with a lot of developers taking finished websites and deploying them. When the developer codes, he or she uses what's comfortable to them or what works best with their department. After a number of times trying to...
Several weeks ago, Ron provided some great insight regarding how to install the Hudson continuous integration tool on Windows. This week, I'll be discussing a different tool: Buildbot. My initial exposure to continuous integration tools in general was only a few years...
Collaborating on an engineering project with team members separated by many miles and multiple time zones can be challenging at times. Telephones, emails, screenshots and online virtual meetings all help but also have their shortcomings. In many ways, screen recording...
I hate being unprepared. When I was in high school, I had a locker. I even had one of those clever plastic shelves and a magnetic mirror. You know what I stored in there? Nothing -- I spent far too much time watching MacGuyver. So I carried around all my books, pens,...
As more and more technology is embedded into products, and software continues its role as the primary driver for product innovation, the domains of application lifecycle management (ALM) and product lifecycle management (PLM) are being placed on an inevitable...
