Tag: opinion
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10 Joys Of Small Business Ownership
Don’t fret about those woes! For on a daily basis… You are building something greater than the sum of its parts. You set the mission, vision and values. You define the right people, right roles, and right rules. You will push constantly to explore and learn to think outside your comfort zone. You will often…
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The Truth About Integrating Rails In The Enterprise
Ruby on Rails is a great RAD framework. We use it all the time. But one place Rails loses its magic–while not the fault of the framework itself–is with external integrations to legacy systems. First of all, soap4r sucks. Everyone I’ve seen try to pick it up has gotten frustrated and angry at how awkward…
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Hiring For IT: What We’re Doing Wrong & How To Fix It
HR departments for many technology firms tend to be a bit backwards in the way they evaluate potential hires. Early in the process, an HR member or technical recruiter will typically contribute to the never ending stream of listings posted to the popular online job sites, and funnel the subsequent flood of applicants through a…
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Everyone Should Grow Up Poor
There are only two relatives I’ve ever known to whom I’ve felt a strong biological connection. One of them died last month. This is a tribute to her… I spent the majority of my early childhood growing up with my mother in a single-room add-on attached to the side of my grandmothers house in a…
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The Three Types of Start-Ups
At OpenRain Elite Web Software we’ve seen all the popular combinations of startup business models when evaluating new projects. Here is a breakdown of the three most common startup models based on financial structure, the pros and cons of each, and recommendations on which one to choose for your new venture. 1) The Pop-Start The…
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What If Ruby Had Final Variables Like Java Or Erlang?
After a long confusing Ruby debate today at OpenRain on the merits of functional, Erlang-esque write-once-read-many variables, I’m going to step onto the podium and just say it… Ruby should get “final” or “const” variables in a similar semantic style to Java, except at runtime. Rather than ramble on for 12 paragraphs explaining exactly how this might work,…
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Identifying Senior Software Engineers: Six Critical Differences
For HR and legal purposes, most development companies classify Software Engineers into ranks from I to IV (or V). The higher the rank, the higher the responsibilities, expectations, independence and pay grade. To cut it as an interviewer and manager, you’ll need to classify people accurately with a minimum amount of direct personal exposure: a…
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Five Major Apple Design Irritants
Apple, My software development firm–OpenRain in Arizona–spends buckets of money on your products. Stuff works pretty well in general, but you really need to address these issues. Really. PowerBook, MacBook and MacBook Pro power supply cables invariably rip. Not only that, but it’s always at the same freaking places. The MackBook/Pro power supplies are better…
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Dear TSA, Check Out The 4th Amendment. Thanks.
Just a little food for thought for your next airplane ride. The 4th amendment of the U.S. constitution reads.. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath…
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Sufficiency In Software Testing
When I was finishing up my B.S. I took a class in embedded software testing. The big assignment was to write the software that controls a single elevator, test the software to our satisfaction and deliver the whole shebang at the end of the semester. The critical lesson I learned from the course was…