I’ve oft mentioned how the twin cost-revolutions in geekery warped & nearly destroyed our trade. Then wondered if we’ll get to a place where it’s no longer profitable for most companies to write bad software poorly. This morning I wonder if I’m seeing the beginning of it. I don’t have any facts & figures for […]
Trade Collapse Begins? Read More »
When I was a wee lad, 28, 29, 30, I knew the C Windows API by heart. I had, in my bathroom, both the technical docs and a copy of Petzold, and I knew it cold, stone cold. Every one of the ~500 calls, all of the arguments, and for most of them, the order
On the cover of Hofstadter’s famous Godel, Escher, and Bach, there’s a photo of an artifact he made, called a "trip-let". The trip-let, when lit from three different angles, produces shadows that spell out "G", "E", and "B". Let’s talk about software design. Before we dig in: I love to think & talk about geekery,
The Shadows of Software Design Read More »
True story: Eighteen or so years ago, I had a gig rolling code at an engineering company. We were writing a windows app using Microsoft Foundation Classes to drive a TTY interface to a box of various radio hardware junk. I was gigged in by a guy I’d taught a c;ass (in MFC) to, because
In our efforts to optimize the Many More Much Smaller Steps (MMMSS) path, we’ve tried and rejected the "shortest-distance" floptimization. Today, let’s take up the "pin-making" floptimization, in which we create specialists, stations, and hand-offs. Many More Much Smaller Steps – First Sketch | GeePawHill.org The first plank of my take on fixing the trade
MMMSS – The Pin-Making Floptimization Read More »
We’ve built ourselves a positive case for "Many More Much Smaller Steps" (MMMSS). There’s a counter-case, tho, based in a trio of proposed optimizations. Sadly, those optimizations usually flop. Today, let’s take up the "Shortest Distance" floptimization. Many More Much Smaller Steps – First Sketch | GeePawHill.org The first plank of my take on fixing
MMMSS – The Shortest-Distance Floptimization Read More »
We’ve covered the MMMSS idea a couple of times now. This time we want to consider the key element of the case in favor: the remarkable intrinsic value we receive from Many More Much Smaller Steps. It’s not immediately obvious, so let’s take our time. Many More Much Smaller Steps – First Sketch | GeePawHill.org
MMMSS – The Intrinsic Benefit of Steps Read More »
As a person who has been successfully coaching software development teams for twenty years, let me throw out a few ideas to chew over. With luck, maybe one of them will jiggle the frame enough for you to find a next step. Nothing, absolutely nothing, always works. There are thousands of forces in play in
Random Coaching Tips Read More »
Earlier, we sketched out MMMSS, Many More Much Smaller Steps, laying out the bare bones. Cool, cool, but now we need to thicken our sense of the idea. Today, let’s close in a little more on what "step" means to us. Many Much More Smaller Steps – First Sketch | GeePawHill.Org The first plank of
MMMSS – A Closer Look at Steps Read More »
The first plank of my take on fixing the trade is MMMSS: If you want more value faster, take Many More Much Smaller Steps. Today I want to start laying this out for folks. This isn’t gonna happen in one thread, but let’s get started. Before we dig in a little, let me remind you
Many More Much Smaller Steps – First Sketch Read More »
