The TSA and IT Governance(steveciske.com)

submitted by stimuli(105) 1 year, 6 months ago

I’m not sure if you’ve heard about the recent TSA controversy regarding John Tyner and his recent visit to the San Diego airport. For those living under a rock John Tyner refused an intimate pat down after refusing to go through the ‘Naked Machine’ (There’s another name for it that I refuse to print here). You can spend all night reading up on this, but I need to Segway back into how this applies to software development. So here it is: People understand procedures and rules are for the greater good, but when it stops providing value or begins to violate reason than you are doing more harm than good. read more...

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Insights of: You're a Bad Manager, Embrace it(www.steveciske.com)

submitted by stimuli(105) 1 year, 7 months ago

I’m sitting here on a Friday night doing what all geeks do. Reviewing blogs and of course catching up on Dzone.com! I was checking out the top links section when I came across Jared Richardson’s recent post ‘You’re a Bad Manager, Embrace It’. I have to admit I’m a little shocked at his article as a sort of bitter commentary on the state of IT management. I’m the first one to tell you that the future of IT management concerns me as well but as someone who does manage development teams I would like to provide some insight. read more...

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Should Business Operations Adopt Agile?(www.steveciske.com)

submitted by stimuli(105) 1 year, 9 months ago

Agile, in terms of application development or, for that matter, any IT based projects is the ‘new normal’. If you’re in IT and have not moved to this methodology I would strongly encourage you take the plunge. Agile, in itself, is a game changer. I’m happy to debate anyone who challenges that position. What about the rest of the business? Is Six Sigma and Peter Drucker the most progressive thinking when running a business? read more...

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Microsoft Announces Cloud Appliance(steveciske.com)

submitted by stimuli(105) 1 year, 9 months ago

I received an interesting email the other day. The link was to a Microsoft article announcing an upcoming release of a ‘Cloud Appliance’. I spoke about how great this would be for the world of computing in a blog post back in February 2009. I forwarded the article to the folks I work with in Server/Network and they lost their minds. A system fully capable of abstracting hardware and software! read more...

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We Need More Evangelists(steveciske.com)

submitted by stimuli(105) 1 year, 10 months ago

I am going out on a limb here. Technologist are not traditionally people persons. Please insert your own Office Space quote [here]. Technology is a profession I love. Make no mistake. But, we have our issues. The issues have nothing about capability or effectiveness. We are very good at that providing solutions to problems. Our problem is self promotion! read more...

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The Importance of Release Engineers(steveciske.com)

submitted by stimuli(105) 2 years, 8 months ago

I’m going to tell you the tale of two software shops. Both shops have incredible Engineers, great Product Managers and excellent processes. The only thing that separates these two shops is release night. read more...

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Code Metrics(steveciske.com)

submitted by stimuli(105) 2 years, 11 months ago

Let’s talk about code metrics for a second. It’s not something that is typically tracked by development teams, but here’s why you should. Gathering code metrics can give you valuable insight into the testability and structure of your code. By monitoring a few key metrics you can spot places where your code may need to be refactored. read more...

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Microsoft Web App Platform Installer 2.0(steveciske.com)

submitted by stimuli(105) 3 years, 2 months ago

Microsoft has taken a lot of flak for it’s dominance in the ‘software’ business. Is it undeserved? I could probably argue both ways. What I will give Microsoft credit for is it’s unmistakable support of its development community. Especially it’s support of the web development community (where they are substantially behind). Microsoft announced some big developments during MIX ‘09. Specifically the Web App Platform 2.0. read more...

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Is CSS all that Great?(steveciske.com)

submitted by stimuli(105) 3 years, 2 months ago

Any developer that’s been around a while remembers the magic of table layouts. It was part of every tutorial on how to create a website. The days have changed and now we see a big push for CSS everywhere. CSS zealots are everywhere, almost as prolific and dedicated as Mac fans! But is CSS evangelism all it’s cracked up to be? read more...

2 comments |category: ASP.NET |Views: 13

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22,000 Strong Botnet: BBC Crosses the Line(steveciske.com)

submitted by stimuli(105) 3 years, 2 months ago

The BBC is running a story about just how easy it is for hackers to install and manage a botnet. The problem is that they used unsuspecting users computers to demonstrate it! read more...

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Why Does Enterprise Business Intelligence Fall Short?(steveciske.com)

submitted by stimuli(105) 3 years, 3 months ago

Would you like to make a lot of money in IT? Just sprinkle some Business Intelligence buzz words in your resume. No really. The Business Intelligence space is filled with impostors, resume inflators, and snake oil sales people. If I haven’t offended everyone yet then let me add that the Business Intelligence space is also littered with vapor ware vendors. Is it their fault? I would argue no. It all starts with strategy behind the Business Intelligence initiative a company initiates. read more...

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Microsoft’s Private Cloud Strategy?(steveciske.com)

submitted by stimuli(105) 3 years, 3 months ago

There are various plays in the Cloud Computing space, but does Microsoft have a play in the private cloud space? Microsoft says that's not an option. I would argue that by not making that play Microsoft may be left in the dust! read more...

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Development Methodology: What they don’t tell you(steveciske.com)

submitted by stimuli(105) 3 years, 3 months ago

There are thousands of websites and 'Guru's' that will tell you about the best development methodology to use, but you can make them all work. Really. You just need to know when to use them! read more...

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Using Silverlight vs. Flash(steveciske.com)

submitted by stimuli(105) 3 years, 3 months ago

Another thing Microsoft could do to boost penetration is buy Yahoo. That’s right. By purchasing Yahoo that would mean that Microsoft would own 3 out of the 5 largest web properties on the web. #1 Yahoo at about 29%, #4 Live at 20% and #5 MSN at 15%. That’s 65% of world wide web traffic according to Alexa. That’s a lot of Silverlight installations. read more...

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Chief Engineer: A book to read.(steveciske.com)

submitted by stimuli(105) 3 years, 4 months ago

I've always thought that some some of the best Product Managers I've ever known have an extensive technical background. Does that mean that every Engineer would make a good Product Manager? I think we can all agree that the answer to that is no. I believe that a good Product Manager is a rare find. It takes a lot of resources and time to develop one. They should be coveted. read more...

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