Stories by Esther Schindler

Programmers who defined the tech industry: Where are they now?

Some early programmer names are familiar to even the most novice of software developers. You may never have seen a line of code written by Bill Gates, or written any application in BASIC (much less for the Altair). But you know Gates' name, and the names of a few others.

Written by Esther Schindler04 Nov. 10 10:45

The Executive Woman's Guide to Mentoring

Every stage in your career progress requires new skills. Sometimes, the knowledge you need to acquire is technical minutiae that can best be learned with a more experienced practitioner at your elbow. At other times, you need advice about developing business skills, or help deciding which new position to accept. Such advice can be acquired haphazardly, or it can come from a mentoring relationship.

Written by Esther Schindler08 Jan. 10 08:19

Highly anticipated open-source releases coming in '09

When big companies release new software, they launch it with lots of hoopla: press tours, technical conferences, free T-shirts. Open-source projects, even the well-known ones, generally release their major new versions with a lot less fanfare. The FOSS (free and open-source software) community is often too busy coding and testing to bother with marketing, even when the new "point release" of the software is really remarkable.

Written by Esther Schindler01 April 09 09:34

5 Things Mark Shuttleworth Has Learned about Organizational Change

Mark Shuttleworth is not your average IT manager. A few weeks ago, he posted a question on an Ubuntu list. Not an order. Not a policy decision. A question: "Should we think about...?" he asked. Collaboration, community and teamwork are part of his personal style.

Written by Esther Schindler29 Jan. 09 05:41

Blog: Taking The Time for Software Design

Cranking out ho-hum code might not require a lot of thinking. But when you need to design elegant software, you need time and space for creative cogitation. Do your coworkers and bosses recognize it... and give you the freedom to do so?

Written by Esther Schindler17 Dec. 08 12:57

26 Ways To Know Your Software Development Project Is Doomed

There's always a moment when you realise that all is lost, that there is absolutely no way THIS project can be a success. Here's a few signs that should suggest your project is headed for failure.

Written by Esther Schindler16 Dec. 08 10:48

Blog: Who's the worst programmer on your team? How can you tell?

I bet you could point to the weakest software developer in your department with little hesitation. But if I asked you to identify your criteria, it's unlikely that "metrics" would play any part in that judgment.

Written by Esther Schindler08 Dec. 08 10:35

Blog: The Differences Between Dynamic/Scripting Languages and "Regular" Languages No Longer Matter

If your software development experience comes from the old-style world of compiled languages, such as C++ or COBOL, you may be a little mystified by the new generations of scripting or dynamic languages. Now you have "modeling" languages to worry about, too. Do any of these names matter, when it comes down to choosing the best language to solve the programming problem? Probably not.

Written by Esther Schindler25 Nov. 08 12:08

Web 2.0 101: An Executive Guide to Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is a set of technologies, a huge set of related functionality and almost a lifestyle choice. This straight-up, non-techie tutorial will help you separate the facts from the hype.

Written by Esther Schindler24 Nov. 08 12:40

SOA Pays Off for Synovus

Governance is key to making project goals work.

Written by Esther Schindler10 Nov. 08 12:49

Blog: Does IE6 Still Matter?

Microsoft's Internet Explorer 6 is seven years old. It's a pain to write Web applications to run correctly on the notoriously non-standards-compliant Web browser. Should you bother? Do you?

Written by Esther Schindler05 Nov. 08 12:35
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