http://www.wandercoding.com The Site for Software People and Their Careers Sun, 23 Nov 2008 22:36:26 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en A couple of days ago, I was working on some code. I had created a few temporary files on disk and needed to delete them. I was going to work out a scheme for recording the file names and hooking into an exit routine to delete them. ... http://www.wandercoding.com/archives/46 Today's world of software development is decidedly more global. Outsourcing and offshoring is common because every knows "it's more economical." While I won't debate that last statement (I'm not really convinced it's more economical), it is simply a fact of life and not really the point of this ... http://www.wandercoding.com/archives/45 Have you noticed that chipotle is the new baking soda. Back in the 90's, you couldn't turn on the TV without seeing a commercial talking about how they added baking soda to make the product better. Crest toothpaste - now with baking soda. Try our laundry detergent ... http://www.wandercoding.com/archives/44 I remember the first time I heard the term "legacy code". It was said with the implication that it was old, disliked, awful, God-help-you-if-you're-sent-in-there-to-modify-it kind of stuff. That's not really what it applies to, however. In many cases it's really just code that's not the most current ... http://www.wandercoding.com/archives/43 I try to avoid politics with people I don't know, but here goes; we'll see how many people I insult with this post. First, let me say how much I hate most politicians. With some exceptions, and despite most of them starting out with good intentions, they end up as ... http://www.wandercoding.com/archives/42 A couple of years ago I was looking for work in the Ithaca, NY area. Several people helped me find local companies and gave me moral support along the way. I ended up working for a small company that subcontracted me to a very large local defense contractor. ... http://www.wandercoding.com/archives/41 When I meet new people, they inevitably ask me what I do for a living. I usually tell them that I write software (when I tell them that I rob banks, they often don't believe me). Some people understand what that is and some don't. It's like ... http://www.wandercoding.com/archives/40 Here are a couple of definitions for you. According to the Merriam Webster dictionary: Strategy: noun, A careful plan or method. Tactic: noun, a device for accomplishing an end. These definitions work perfectly for talking about software management. When I was a manager a few years ago, some of my ... http://www.wandercoding.com/archives/39 For the past few years, I've been playing fantasy football. If you're not familiar with the concept, you join a league with some other people, pick a name for your team, and then draft players from the NFL. There's an order for picking players based on your record ... http://www.wandercoding.com/archives/38 In Steve McConnell's excellent book, Rapid Development, he talks about wasting time during the fuzzy front end. This is the time of a project when you're waiting for the new specifications to come from product design or marketing or whoever does the up-front design work for your product (or ... http://www.wandercoding.com/archives/37