Andrew MacNeill - AKSEL Solutions

In reviewing older posts, I came across this little gem that had never been posted but is always particularly relevant to development today. I posted a more thorough outline on my process blog. http://intridea.com/posts/always-be-releasing It's a short post but hits on a key point for developers and anyone involved in a project that seems to be going on and on: I burn out when I'm not releasing. One of my clients recently started one week iterations. If you're feeling burnt out, take a step back and think about something you can release this week. I was asked "do I feel the one week is too short a time?" Surprisingly, I said No. The one week iteration ensures there are no "beware the man in a dark room" syndrome but it also allows for very little time for re-design and refactoring. Programmers that like to tinker and sit back and re-design over and over again really don't work well in this one week iteration process. it's not ...

Check out the latest FoxShow teaser . While waiting for the final version of an interview with Doug, Rick and Tamar regarding Southwest Fox 2012 , the organizations threw in a little bonus. I'll sweeten the pot. The first five that register and mention the FoxShow will get $50 sent to them via Paypal from the FoxShow as well. FoxPro VFP

I mentioned 99% invisible on my last FoxShow  - it's a fascinating and amazing show, talking about design, typically in architecture. For those who build software, what IS interesting is how design impacts a variety of things. Subtle things, like how if you close your eyes, a lane change feels like a 90% degree turn or just a quick flick of the wrist. Or how four uber-creative guys decided to ensure certain words were ensconced in metal. Or even more fun, what really should happen when patent-violators go bad. However, more to the point, 99% Invisible is on KickStarter , a web site to help businesses or groups fund things through the crowd. The show started looking for some money to help broaden its scope so it can do more shows. But they hit that target almost instantly. Now they are trying to do something  a little more fun ---- reach 5,000 "backers". They're almost there (4,600 at this writing) with 4 days to go. You don't have to give a lot of money ---...

Last month, I had the opportunity to talk with Barry Mavin and Hank Fay about Lianja , Barry's new tool for building a single application for Desktop (Windows, Mac and Linux),  Web and Mobile. It's based on QT but what Barry has done is pretty damn incredible - a full development platform where  you can code in Python, PHP, Javascript and yes, FoxPro. So you're not just cross-platform in terms of OS but you're also cross-language. You can even mix code so one part can be written in JavaScript while another can be written in VFP. And Yes, it is eXtensible . The FoxShow Episode is now available .

Here's a great post  that I'm sure others have seen and posted. Three guys had the opportunity to do some prototyping with Kent Beck, the creator of TDD and thankfully, one of them,  Jakub Holý ,  documented it. I haven't ready Kent's implementation patterns book The entire post is very long and detailed but I wanted to post some key takeaways as they apply to pretty much any project. Make your code readable.  " Code is primarily means of communication." KISS. " Apply simplicity at all levels ." Flexibility " Programs should be flexible in the ways they change, they should make common changes easy or at least easier. " Approaches to coding. When thinking about Agile, people start creating sprints of 2 weeks or less. When prototyping, an even quicker sprint came up - " what would be the demo we would like to show at the end of the day. And his next question was what test to write." Write tests that test needed funct...

Doug Hennig and Rick Schummer just posted about Southwest Fox 's new registration incentive. Pre-register before July 1st, and you may win a Samsung Galaxy, iPad or Kindle Fire - something to suit your needs whether you be an Android, iOS or just an avid reader. With pre-registration, you also get a pre/post con and a chance for $150 scholarship  or Stonefield Query . Last year, there weren't a lot of pre-July 1 registrations so the chances of winning are HUGE!!! As an aside, one of the sponsors of SW Fox is Lianja and I recently had an opportunity to talk with its founder and will be sharing that interview on the FoxShow later this week.

Failure and Rescue http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2012/06/atul-gawande-failure-and-rescue.html Sent via Flipboard , your social magazine for iPad and iPhone. Sent from my iPhone