Stories by Esther Schindler

Blog: Why Are We Still Using Business Cards?

They're fragile, easy to lose, and hard to convert into a useful digital format. So why are we still using business cards as the primary way to exchange personal data?

Written by Esther Schindler01 July 08 14:32

Managing and Motivating Developers: Tips for Management Cluefulness

In many ways, managing a developer is just like managing any other employee. Developers want managers who'll help them solve business and technical problems, who'll protect them from unnecessary office politics and who will help them meet their personal career goals. But programmers are...different. Like musicians, these creative folks can alternate between big-picture thinking and persnickety detail in a heartbeat. They can be sidetracked by silly toys, and convinced to work overtime by the promise of pizza and a T-shirt. Trying to understand and motivate these people can drive managers-particularly nontechnical managers-to distraction.

Written by Esther Schindler30 June 08 09:34

What Your Team Can Learn About Innovation From The Simpsons

Probably the only technical qualification to put Joel Cohen, a writer and associate producer of The Simpsons, in front of the keynote crowd at the Red Hat Summit in June was that Red Hat Enterprise 5 was used to render some of the animation in The Simpsons movie. But Cohen had surprisingly deep-and quite entertaining-advice about innovation and the creative process to offer the conference attendees.

Written by Esther Schindler24 June 08 13:41

What Grady Booch Has Learned About Complex Software Systems

A handful of uber-programmers are immediately recognizable to most software developers, often on a first-name basis-the way that other communities might recognize "Britney" or "Oprah" without further explanation. These individuals shape the way programmers design and build applications, by identifying process improvements or designing life-changing tools.

Written by Esther Schindler20 June 08 15:06

Blog: Evaluating an Open-Source Project's Business Model

Any businessperson who's going to bet the company on a technology decision wants to minimize risk. Sure, you want to get a bargain... but you also want to ensure that the company from whom you're purchasing the software will be around, and that the support will be there when you need it. No matter what the distribution method is.

Written by Esther Schindler02 June 08 15:23

Survey: Open Source is Entering the Enterprise Mainstream

Open-source solutions used to be adopted quietly by company boffins who snuck in an Apache Web server or an open-source development tool suite under the philosophy "It's easier to get forgiveness than permission" (not to mention "It's easier to do it with open-source tools than to get an IT budget").

Written by Esther Schindler02 June 08 11:02

Blog: It's Your Bug. But It's Not Your Job Anymore.

If a previous employer called to ask you about a bug in the code you'd written for them, how much time and energy would you be comfortable investing in helping out?

Written by Esther Schindler09 May 08 15:01

Test automation: Making IT easier

"It used to take four people five days to test the software every month," says Kevin Bingham, vice president of IT at Arizona Federal Credit Union. "Now, we can do it in six hours."

Written by Esther Schindler05 May 08 11:54

Blog: Open Source as An Easy Answer for Better Developer Visibility (and Career Opportunity)

Sometimes, there isn't much you can do to kick-start your career. Not everyone can be lucky enough to get involved in a high-profile project at work, or to develop a talent in a technology that's suddenly in-demand. But it surprises me when IT professionals who aim to move up the career ladders don't take advantage of one resource that's a win-win solution all around: get involved in an open source project.

Written by Esther Schindler21 April 08 15:00

Struggling to Support Remote Workers? It's Only Going to Get Worse

Your IT department will soon need to support more remote workers than ever before. Both technology changes - such as video adoption - and cultural issues - such as user expectation - will require that your company embrace telecommuting. Doesn't that just cheer up your day?

Written by Esther Schindler18 April 08 12:33

Gartner Explains Why Windows Is Broken

Two Gartner analysts said the words that enterprises dread, and that will move alternate operating system proponents to tears of joy: "Windows as we know it needs to be replaced"

Written by Esther Schindler18 April 08 12:29

Blog: The Unspoken Problem with Enterprise Online Communities

I love the idea of IBM's new social network, which it announced this week at the IBM IMPACT 2008 conference in the US. The social network, which aims to advance service oriented architectures (SOA), intends to connect technologists and business professionals in various roles, such as business analyst, college professor, enterprise architect and software developer. It also takes advantage of existing social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook and Second Life. Using both online and in-person forums, says the company, the social network is designed to help members build skills and share best practices.

Written by Esther Schindler11 April 08 15:07
[]