It has been half a year in March since we have started to use Wiki as main project management, collaboration and content creation tool. I think this is period long enough to look back and summarize what we have discovered, what worked and what not. This was not the first attempt to use Wiki in this context - however, it was first case when the result can be considered full success. I have tried (both in at-home and project environments) several Wiki implementations, notably JSPWiki,MoinMoin, FlexWiki, Wiki module for DotNetNuke and MediaWiki over period of about 5 years. During this process I have discovered by trial and error, which features are important in software development project environment and what are the conditions/consequences of using Wiki as main information hub.
Thanks to exploring the Google calendar (when playing with public calendars related to Ottawa) I found the Ottawa Mac User group's calendar and discovered that
a) they exist
b) they hold monthly meetings in nice Irish pub at the Market The group is actually named Bytown Mac User's group, for the reasons explained on the Web site or here.
So I decided to go there. I thought - what the heck, worst thing that can happen that I will have a glass of Guinness at the pub I never visited before, which is not a bad thing at all. And besides, the Rideau Chapters store is very close (the plan B). It turned out pretty well, though - meeting was interesting. The group is fairly small (I believe somewhere about 10-15 people) but nice, friendly, dedicated and interesting. It sort of reflects the Mac representation in the market. Unlike when attending Microsoft users events, where almost everybody is by profession tied to the software development of IT business, here larger percentage of people did something non-primarily computer related for living - like creative writing, art, video processing. Again - it represents well the real world situation. Not too many people that actually do software development (other than Web design) but there was one guy who is exploring the same path as I am looking for: Objective C and Cocoa development.
Gabo sent me this link - it is some half-joke half serious knock-off of the Myers-Briggs personality classification. Same as in case of MB, it gives you four letters. Unlike in MB, the letters are different:
Instead of E/I - Extroversion or Introversion, N/S (iNtuitive / Sensing), T/F (Thinking/Feeling) and J/P (Judging/Perceiving),
it classifies you either as D/P - Doer or Planner, L/H - Low or High level programmer, S/T - Solo or Team programmer and C/B Conservative/liBeral.
Disclaimer first: I really like GMail. Since I started using it (about year ago), I learned to appreciate the beautiful simplicity and elegance of the Web interface. And since I switched completely to GMail as foundation of all my email systems (about November 2006), I have managed to simplify most of my email related chores. But let's face it - GMail is far from perfect. Here is list of the annoyances and missing features that I have collected:
The Ottawa .NET Community organized today interesting lunch-and-learn session: first of two sessions on introducing the Rocky Lhotka's CSLA Framework. Usual location - Glacier Room at downtown Microsoft Office. I decided to attend for two reasons: first was that I knew the presenter - David Campbell. David is a great guy - consultant with 20 years of history in the software development business, running his own company. Last year when we were looking for people with CSLA experience in Ottawa, David's name came out first.
It is not Friday today and I am obviously late with next link collection. Somehow I have completely missed the weekend - so much was happening at work that I had barely had time to notice what is going on on the Web. My Google Reader is overflowing with new links and there are lots of new links in delicious. Let's start.
Merlin Mann of 43folders started to do videopodcasts - have a look (in the second edition he interviews Jonathan Coulton, famous creator of the Code Monkey song). This little utility allows to synchronize contacts and tasts between Thunderbird and PocketPC. Interesting article on how to make Gmail you personal information centre.
Most programmers love GUI. It is so easy, so convenient, just point and click here, click there, drag and drop, repeat few times and problem solved. Who in sanemind would bother typing and writing code when can GUI do it all. The convenience rules. If you need to add or change something, it takes just few more clicks. Not a big deal, just add a few more easy steps. No problem - right ? Wrong !
I have picked it two days ago in Chapters - Code Craft by Pete Goodliffe. Somehow similar in topics covered as the Rapid Development or From Coder to Developer - but newer. Divided into 6 parts:
Part I - At the codeface - defensive programming techniques, naming, formatting, commenting, error handling
Part II - The secret life of code - code contruction tools, testing and debugging methods, building
Part III - The Shape of the code - code design, architecture, source code growth and decay over time
It has been said that the great scientific disciplines are examples of giants standing on the shoulders of other giants. It has also been said that the software industry is an example of midgets standing on the toes of other midgets. [Alan Cooper]
And the users exclaimed with a laugh and a taunt: "It's just what we asked for but not what we want."
For a sucessful technology, honesty must take precedence over public relations for nature cannot be fooled. [Richard Feynman]
We build software line by line, idea by idea, side by side. Our software is an expression of ourselves, our best moments, our toughest challenges, our greatest hopes.
This wonderful quote is from handcrafted copy of Vista, which was distributed to everybody who worked on a product. It is a Microsoft tradition that the people who worked on a project get a copy of the project when it ships.