Friday, April 22, 2005 10:29 AM | rahel luethy | 2 comment(s)
the two most entertaining blog posts i read last week are some notes on the building of CodeZoo (by marc hedlund) and the joel test: 12 steps to better code (by joel spolsky).
the postings are very different and yet very similar:
CodeZoo is a "directory of free, reusable components for software projects" that has recently been launched by o'reilly. marc's article is thus still wet from birth and even though we don't deal with webprojects at genedata, it was very fun to read and i felt that this guy really knows what he's talking about. i was especially amused by the
playing dead model: it's a model to minimize the harm of inappropriate user submissions by playing dead (the user who submits a tip or review will always see it on the site immediately, but other users won't see it unless and until it is approved by the moderators).
the joel test is five (!) years old already. i ran into it when i was googling for "how to write java specs" (a hot topic in our dev team at the moment). joel spolsky is a software developer who has worked at various big companies (including m$, where he was managing how VBA should be implemented in excel).
this is the test (answer with
yes or
no, 1 point per
yes):
- do you use source control?
- can you make a build in one step?
- do you make daily builds?
- do you have a bug database?
- do you fix bugs before writing new code?
- do you have an up-to-date schedule?
- do you have a spec?
- do programmers have quiet working conditions?
- do you use the best tools money can buy?
- do you have testers?
- do new candidates write code during their interview?
- do you do hallway usability testing?
if your software team scores 10 or lower, you've got a serious problem. fullstop. apparently, we've got a serious problem at genedata (7 points if i include the newly born specs; what about your team?). joel is very eloquent in explaining where and how we can improve.
now the mini-punchline, which jumped at me when i was writing this blog and re-read the CodeZoo posting:
playing dead has also been proposed by joel...
Friday, April 15, 2005 10:47 AM | rahel luethy | 0 comment(s)
skip this posting if boingboing (the "directory of wonderful things") is already on your daily news diet. everyone else: my archive of hand-picked favorites (or: why boingboing is not boringboring...):
- remote-controlled headless zombie flies (link)
- auto-generated computer science papers accepted for conference (link)
- gallery of shaken faces (link)
- avril lavigne chumming up the wrong country (link)
- transparent screen illusions (link)
- RFID self implant for car access (link)
- cress overturns textbook genetics (link)
