Methods & Tools - News, Facts & Comments Edition - February 2009

*** News *********************************************************

* IBM Rational and WebSphere Strategies

I attended last week a conference in Geneva where IBM was presenting the strategy for its Rational and WebSphere software development solutions. If you consider IBM as a hardware company, you should realize that today services is the most important revenue sector and software is the most important source of income. Currently, IBM focus is on aligning IT (and software development) with business goals and this objective impact also the strategy of its software development solutions.

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* M&T Industry Press Releases Channel

You can follow press releases from software development tools vendors on http://www.softdevtools.com/modules/news/

*** Numbers ******************************************************

* Software Development Training Poll

The current M&T poll is asking: How many weeks of training have you followed on average the past 3 years? Go to the Poll page to participate and to see intermediate results.

*** Jobs Opening on SoftDevJobs.com ******************************

Find more than 250 open jobs on http://www.softdevjobs.com/recent

Posting of jobs is free. If your company is recruiting in the software development field, do not hesitate to use this board.

*** Linkopedia ***************************************************

Linkopedia February 2009

DevCreek is a community dedicated to improving software quality through the collection, analysis and sharing of project metrics.

DomainDrivenDesign.org is a open forum to share ideas and interact with other people interested in domain-driven design.

Apache Cayenne is an open source persistence framework providing object-relational mapping (ORM) and remoting services

Speed up your Web pages. Learn how you can make the browsing experience better for dial-up users by reducing loading times by as much as 80 percent, in some cases.

JavaScript Test Driven Development with JsUnit and JSMock. This article is a crash course in writing maintainable JavaScript.

The Role of Leadership in Software Development. In this video, Mary Poppendieck discusses of leadership roles in software development — what works, what doesn’t and why.

Practicing Testability in the Real World. This video presents a testability checklist that will ensure that core testability principles are considered while testing a particular feature.

Learning JavaFX. Robert Eckstein teaches you the fundamentals of the new JavaFX programming language, all in fifteen minutes or less!

Find more items in our directories: www.softdevtools.com, www.softdevarticles.com, www.softdevlinks.com, www.softdevtube.com

*** Books ********************************************************

Thinking Tools for Scaling Lean and Agile

This book from Craig Larman and Bas Vodde is a classic example of the fact that it is better to teach somebody to fish than to give him fish. It emphasizes that it is important to "be agile" more than to "do agile". Approaches like Scrum or Lean are more frameworks to think about continuous improvement than tools that should be applied blindly like cooking recipes. The book will therefore tell you that "large-scale Scrum is Scrum" or that lean is not just kanban or waste reduction. The first part of the book is focused on thinking tools (systems thinking, lean thinking, queueing theory) that are presented with software project management related examples. Those who are looking for practical advice should not believe that the book remains only at the conceptual level. The authors distill many "try..." and "avoid..." recommendations that will help you implement agile and lean ideas in your organization. The second part of the book is devoted to organizational tools and the final chapter proposes frameworks to adapt Scrum to larger contexts.

This book is a must for those who believe that software development project management goes beyond the simple application of "silver bullet" recipes. It is a rich source of both thinking and practical content that is well suited for non-linear reading. A very good "Scrum primer" chapter at the end of the book will provide an introduction for those who are not familiar with this approach and a large number of "recommended readings" items will allow readers to explore more in details each concept.

Get more details on this book or buy it on amazon.com

Get more details on this book or buy it on amazon.co.uk

*** Conferences: www.softdevconferences.com **********************

* International Test Certification Weeks (ITCW)

San Antonio, TX - March 2-6, 2009
Washington, DC - March 30 - April 3, 2009
Minneapolis, MN - April 13-17, 2009
Chicago, IL - May 11-15, 2009

20 Full day in-depth Software Testing and QA courses taught by Leading Industry Experts in Software Testing & Quality

http://www.iist.org/stpw/

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* REConf 2009, March 9-12, Munich, Germany

Requirement Engineering is getting more and more a crucial factor within the software development area. For Compliance Models like CMMI, Spice etc. the usage of RM&E Methods are a must. REConf is the largest European Conference regarding Requirement Engineering.

http://www.reconf.de/

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* Boosting Software Quality with Agile Processes March 18-20 2009, Stockholm, Sweden

The Nordic Rendez-vous for Agile specialists are taking place in Stockholm, March 18 – 20, 2009. If you are keen to identify the way to control software development via Scrum and Agile test management

http://www.keepitagile.se

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* TheServerSide Java Symposium, March 18-20 2009, Las Vegas, USA

TheServerSide.com explores current trends in enterprise Java. In-depth coverage of the latest frameworks and open source tools, architectural best practices, SOA case studies and much more. Choose from 45+ technical sessions across 5 tracks: Frameworks, Architecture, SOA, Language, Tools & Techniques.

http://javasymposium.techtarget.com/

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* ApacheCon Europe 2009, March 23-27 2009, Amsterdam, Netherlands

ApacheCon is the official user conference of The Apache Software Foundation, featuring in-depth training classes and more than 60 sessions by the creators of open source software such as the Apache httpd webserver, Tomcat, Lucene, Hadoop and more. New this year: BarCampApache, Open Hackathon, and Geeks for Geeks Track.

http://www.eu.apachecon.com

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* XP Day French Speaking Edition, March 30, 2009, Geneva, Switzerland

This conference proposes an international vision of Agile approaches. During one day, twelve presentations will cover topics that interest both managers and developers. The variety of the content will allow beginners and experts to get the most out of the conference.

http://www.xpday.ch/

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* Software Practice Advancement 2009, April 5-8 2009, London, UK

SPA Conferences bring together experts and practitioners across a variety of industries, from around the world, to share the latest thinking in software development. At SPA we don't follow the latest fads, instead we help you identify the real advances that will enable you to build better software. Special discount available until 31st Jan.

http://www.spaconference.org

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* CITCON North America 2009, April 17-18 2009, Minneapolis/St. Paul, USA

The Continuous Integration and Testing Conference is an Open Space conference for developers, testers, tool developers and everyone who is interested in continuous integration and testing. This is a chance to connect with other people on topics you care about, learn from their experiences, and share your own.

http://www.citconf.com/msp2009/

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* JAX 09, April 20-24 2009, Mainz, Germany

JAX is the leading conference on Java, software architecture and agility in Europe. It offers a special blend of topics that signal the direction of the Java Enterprise Community in the upcoming years. Very Early Bird: Including FREE Agile Day PLUS Early Bird Prices! You save up to 700 EUR if you register by February 12, 2009!

http://www.jax.de

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* Eclipse Forum Europe 2009, April 20-24 2009, Mainz, Germany

Eclipse Forum Europe is the conference for all experts using Eclipse as a strategic platform - either as a development environment, as runtime for Rich Clients, as a server framework and also for vertical industry frameworks. The 4th Eclipse Forum Europe in Mainz offers you again the best speakers and the most important companies within the Eclipse ecosytem. The conference program focuses on all aspects of the Eclipse platform.

http://www.eclipseforumeurope.com

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* SOACON 2009, April 20-24 2009, Mainz, Germany

SOACON is the conference for software architects, project managers, and IT strategists who want to inform themselves about the latest insights about SOA. Very Early Bird: Including FREE Agile Day PLUS Early Bird Prices! You save up to 700 EUR if you register by February 12, 2009!

http://www.soacon.de

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* ACCU 2009 Spring Conference, 22-25 April 2009, Oxford, UK

The ACCU conference has a tradition of high quality sessions covering many aspects of software development, from programming languages and technologies to development processes, and softer aspects such as team building, communication and leadership.

http://www.accu.org/conference

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* Practical Software Quality and Testing Conference West,

April 27 - May 1 2009, Las Vegas, USA

If you are looking for a long day filled with dense, scholarly papers on how academics think software quality can be approached, forget about the PSQT conference. On the other hand, if you are looking for a full week chock-full of lively and timely information about software quality and testing, presented by nationally known experts who actually practice what they preach, then PSQT is for you. Free Airfare for full week registration!

http://www.psqtconference.com/2009west

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* STAREAST - Software Testing Analysis & Review Conference,

May 4-8 2009, Orlando, USA

Providing the largest and most advanced testing forum, STAREAST delivers the latest trends, technologies, and strategies in the industry today. Learn about new products, timely issues, and cutting-edge solutions from the best experts in the business. Find answers to your questions about test management, automation, SOA testing, model-based testing, and many of the other hot-topics.

http://www.sqe.com/go?SE09M&Tweb

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* TeamConf, 5-7 May 2009, Munich, Germany

TeamConf the conference about Microsoft Visual Studio Team System and Team Foundation Server. Join the community and learn more about best practices with Visual Studio Team System and Team Foundation Server.

http://www.teamconf.de/

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* Mini XP Days 2009, May 11 2009, Mechelen, Belgium

Mini-XP Day Benelux 2009 gives you another opportunity to participate in the best sessions of XP Days Benelux 2008. Eight hands-on sessions about software quality, business value, coaching and process change in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. See you there!

http://www.xpday.net/

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* webinale 09, May 25-27 2009, Berlin, Germany

What will be important for the World Wide Web in future? What will change, how will it look like? Visit the webinale 09 in Berlin and talk with our top speakers and many other experts about these questions. Very Early Bird: You save up to 399 EUR if you register by February 27, 2009!

http://www.webinale.de

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* RailsWayCon, May 25-27 2009, Berlin, Germany

No other framework has recently influenced the world of software programming as much as Ruby on Rails has. S&S Media will set up a world-class conference in early 2009 in Berlin featuring the brightest heads of the Ruby on Rails community – creating exposure to the world’s most modern and favourite framework and bringing together all who work with Ruby on Rails!

http://www.railswaycon.com

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* Code Generation 2009, June 16­18 2009, Cambridge, UK.

CG2009 brings developers and leading experts in code generation tools and technologies together in a unique, participative event. Whether you are a veteran or a novice with Domain-Specific Languages, MDA, Executable UML, Eclipse Modeling etc. you will benefit by taking part.

http://www.codegeneration.net/cg2009/

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* Jazoon'09, June 22-25 2009, Zurich, Switzerland

Jazoon'09 will again attract famous Java experts and geeks to Zurich. In contrast to other events, Jazoon places emphasis on the active participation of the community and in turn invites everyone to contribute lectures on interesting research results, developments and practical experiences.

http://jazoon.com/

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* QA&TEST, 21-23 October 2009, Bilbao, Spain

QA&TEST invites professionals of testing and QA Software to share their knowledge and experiences in the Conference. The Call for Papers started on December 1st and it’s still open. Don’t miss the opportunity to be recognised as an expert in your field of activity!

http://www.qatest.org/en/qa_area/call.php

*** M&T News *****************************************************

* Methods & Tools Article Pipeline

In future issues, you will find articles on:

* Database Locking
* Architecture Decay
* Code Generation
* Agile RFP
* How to Build Articulate UML Class Models
* Open-Source Messaging Servers
* Responsibility Driven Design with Mock Objects
* Agile coding and testing
* Timing and Synchronization in Executable UML
* How to Quantify Quality: Finding Scales of Measure
* Scrum Product Owner Guide
* TDD,FDD and BDD Compared