Looking back: Software is Art?

The traditional craftsman uses handed down principles and rules of thumb as the basis of his work: experience gained over many years of apprenticeship. The engineer proves his designs at every stage with scientific laws and mathematics. Craft and engineering differ in their techniques but they have a common goal remain the same : to [...]

Quick take: Will Borland find a good home with Microfocus?

Having written quite recently on Borland, I felt obliged to comment on its recently planned acquisition by Microfocus. While the press release talks about ‘market opportunity’ and the like, its also important to think in terms of what it means for software tools customers. A couple of starters-for-10: 1. Borland, having sold off its developer [...]

On Jacuzzis and Peer Programming

“Wow, when I was a kid we had to fart in the bath,” said Eddie Murphy’s character Billy Ray Valentine, when told he would have the use of a jacuzzi. They don’t make films like that anymore, do they? Well, actually they do but a little nostalgia never hurt anyone. So it might be with [...]