A recent conversation with a colleague got me thinking about so-called “lightweight” systems, and when they become more trouble then they’re worth. He was frustrated by some problems he was having; even more so, he explained, because he thought he was dealing with something that was “lightweight”. It’s a seductive word, and sometimes — as … Continue reading
When do we need user acceptance testing? And when can we get away without it? User acceptance testing (UAT) is when your software goes in front of the user to get final sign-off — and when they ask for changes if not. In theory you shouldn’t need UAT at all (didn’t they tell you what … Continue reading
Staggering though it may be, it turns out that people are different. It also turns out that certain kinds of people are different to other kinds of people. And a corollary of this is that people who aren’t software engineers tend to have a different perspective to those who are. For example, I spend a … Continue reading
Sometimes you can trust too much. Wherever I’ve worked I’ve been involved in a few examples where we listened to the customer, trusted them to know what they wanted, given it to them, and they’ve regretted it. We have delivered anti-features. Most recently at Guardian Unlimited our (previous) homepage had clever layout rules whose logic … Continue reading
An aphorism I heard recently seems to be particularly memorable: “there’s nothing so permanent as temporary”. However, it wasn’t originally referring to software — it comes from a builder who is rebuilding the kitchen of friends. He’s from Azerbaijan, and my friends are fond of quoting him in full, to give the words maximum colour: … Continue reading
There’s more to software development than getting a software project delivered to the users’ satisfaction, on time and on budget. (As if that wasn’t enough.) Sometimes someone has to ensure the system lasts for the long term. But when that happens it’s a balancing act: between the project and the product. The project and the … Continue reading
Today we’ve launched three new sites on Guardian Unlimited. Well, more correctly, we’ve redesigned and rebuilt our Science, Technology and Environment sites. Working for a media organisation, I can rely on people much more articulate than me to tell the stories better — see Alok Jha on Science, Alison Benjamin on Environment and (with more … Continue reading
“Quick and dirty” is a weapon that’s often deployed by people for getting themselves out of a tight spot. But like any weapon, in the wrong hands it can backfire badly. Technical people use techie quick and dirty solutions in their work. Those people we like to work so closely with — our clients — … Continue reading
We’ve just launched the single most visible, most complex, and most trafficked page in the entire network of Guardian Unlimited sites — the Guardian Unlimited front. And in so doing we’ve revealed more of a new design that’s due to roll out over the next few months. There are some really lovely editorial and commercial … Continue reading
Mishkin Berteig says that rotating developers in and out of a support team should never be considered. I’d argue that he’s wrong, and that it’s often highly desirable and should always be considered. In this article: Background. In which I outline what this is all about. Support rotation is desirable. In which I explain five … Continue reading
