Methods & Tools Software Development Magazine

Software Development Magazine - Project Management, Programming, Software Testing

Scrum Expert - Articles, tools, videos, news and other resources on Agile, Scrum and Kanban

Methods & Tools - News, Facts & Comments Edition - October 2001

*** Products ************************************************************

* Defect tracking tools on the Web

Sometimes (very rarely... :-]), the good programmers that we are make some mistakes. We call them bugs ... or features if you are a salesman. To keep track of them, software tools exist. Here are some Web sites where you will find free or trial version of bug tracking tools:

  • www.skyeytech.com/BUGtrack/welcome.xml - BUGTrack Web based 2 weeks trial
  • www.elementool.com/ - web site, free until 200 issues
  • www.mozilla.org/projects/bugzilla - Bugzilla. free, 10M
  • www.nesbitt.com/bugcollector - BugCollector Pro, free trial version, 15.3M
  • www.fesoft.com/bugcrack - BugCracker, version 1.29 trial, 5.80 M
  • www.novosys.de/Buggy/Buggy.html - Buggy, 4.3M
  • www.pandawave.com/bldown.html - BugLink, 30 days trial, 1.1M
  • alumni.caltech.edu/~dank/gnats.html - GNATS free linux tool
  • www.gnacademy.org/uu-gna/tech/dbedit/frontdesk.html - Frondesk free
  • samba.anu.edu.au/cgi-bin/jitterbug - Jitterbug free Unix/Linux tool
  • www.neuma.com/products.html - NeumaCM trial version 7M
  • www.accurev.com/ot/ - OpenTrack free tool 690K
  • www.avensoft.com - Perfect Tracker, trial version, 2.3M
  • www.merant.com/pvcs/downloads/index.html - PVCS, 30 days trial version
  • www.razor.visible.com/dwn_load.shtml - Razor, trial version
  • www.softwarewithbrains.com/swbtrack.htm - SWB Tracker, trial version, 7.8M
  • www.hstech.com.au/TeamTracker/ - Team Tracker, trial version, 6.1M
  • www.seapine.com - TestTrack Pro 4, 30 days trial, Windows 9M Linux/Solaris 3M
  • www.visualbugz.com - Visual Bugz!, trial version, 15M
  • www.elsitech.com/products/viweb.htm - Visual Intercept, trial version, 34M
  • www.prostyle.com/noframes/issue.html - ZeroDefect, trial version, 24M
  • www.threerock.com - Bugbase 2000, trial version, 4.8M
  • www.remotedebugger.com - Team Remote Debugger 2001, 30 days trial, 2.9M

*** Companies ***********************************************************

* Hewlett-Packard merges with Compaq

Both companies announced last month their intention to combine their operations. After having searched to improve its service sector with the acquisition of a consulting company (the failed deal to acquire part of Price Waterhouse Coopers for instance), HP has found another way with Compaq. This company performed the same road when it acquired Digital Equipment. In addition to the 15'000 job cuts announced by the two companies, 15'000 new cuts will be made as a result of the merger. The combined company should ultimately save $2.5 billion annually through operational synergies. The merger is scheduled to be effective in the first half of 2002.

In the short term, it is expected that the turbulences caused by the merger of two "alien" corporate cultures will be beneficial for the competitors. Dell and Sun are mentioned to be the best positioned to profit from the situation. In the long term, the new Hewlett-Packard should be positioned as a strong global competitor in IT services, the equal of IBM.

* XP Without Java

Microsoft has announced that XP, the next version of its Windows operating system, will be delivered without a Java Virtual Machine (JVM). A JVM is a software that allows to run Java programs. Some vendors, like Dell, will bundle a JVM with the computers they sell, others, like Compaq, will not put a JVM in their products. In this case, the customer will have to download a version of this program from a Web site. Many of them are providing JVM for free.

This decision comes after a lawsuit where Microsoft was accused by Sun, the owner of the Java standards, of having developed a Java version not compatible with the standards. Microsoft was blocked in the development of its J++ product. After an agreement was reached between the two companies, Microsoft announced its proprietary strategy for Internet with the .NET language. This could explain why the XP release will try to battle against Java. In my opinion, this is for the moment a worthless combat as I see Java used by many companies that are conducting Web-based systems development. In the long term, like Internet Explorer crunched Netscape Navigator, we will have to see if the widespread diffusion of the .NET environment on Microsoft-dominated client platforms can change the preferred choices for developing distributed logic.

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

* Benefits of Software Risk Management

A study was conducted on the topic by the KLCI Research Group during the second quarter of 2001. More than 260 software organisations worldwide participated to this study and 97% of the participants have currently procedures to identify and assess risk. Here are what the participants say about the benefits of software risk management practices.

  • Anticipate/avoid problems 80%
  • Prevent surprises 60%
  • Meet customer commitments 47%
  • Improve Ability to Negotiate 47%
  • Less Schedule Slips 43%
  • Fewer Cost Overruns 35%
  • None  6%

To download the complete report, goto www.klci.com

*** In Other's Words ****************************************************

* We are all different!

"Not too long ago, I was chatting with a vice president of a major shrinkwrapped software vendor. He described me a new concept the firm has invented, something that was working extremely well. I think he called it a bug council: a regular meeting where requests for changes and remaining known defects were reviewed; their impacts discussed; decisions made on what to add, fix, or leave; and cross-functional commitments made to take action.
I smiled and asked, 'What if I had told you that we have been using the same process you just 'discovered' for 15 years, except we call it a configuration control board. How would you have reacted?'
'Oh,' he said, 'I probably would have just ignored you!'
I asked again, eager to learn and ready to offer assistance: 'How could I share any of my 15 years of experience with you, so your organization could learn from the rest of industry and gain benefits faster than having to invent these things for yourselves?
The response was a weak 'I don't know' and a blank stare.
And so finally I asked: 'Are you aware of the Capability Maturity Model for Software or other software development guidelines that might provide some additional perspectives?'
'Yes,' he said, 'but none of that stuff applies to us; we are very different.'"
Source: "Essence of the Capability Maturity Model", Judy Bamberger, IEEE Software, June 1997.

We like to be different from others, but we are mostly only making the same mistakes... :-]

* Hype & Reality

Hype: "Forrester says this market is going to be HUGE. And if we can get only 1 percent of that, we'll be a success" (Also known as Chinese Metrics - you will make a widget for the Chinese population and will be successful if only 1 percent of the Chinese buy your product).
Reality: If it were that easy, we'd all retire.

Hype: Our products are based on standards, but our competitors' products aren't.
Reality: Every company wants something proprietary to lock customers into their product.

Hype: Our 50 patents in the field will protect us from our competitors.
Reality: If it is a manufacturing process patent, better keep it as a trade secret. If it's a technology patent, there will be 100 ways to design around it.

Hype: Large numbers of customers are testing our prototypes, making us confident of our revenue projections.
Reality: Customers test everything to get freebies pilots and to prove to their bosses that they have really screened the market.

Some additional definitions:

Solution: we're not sure what is it's either
End-to-end solution provider: don't you dare buy our competitor's products
Best of breed: our developers couldn't write enough source code
Time to market: getting out there and selling your products
Accelerate your business processes: work faster so you can be even more stressed out than you are now
Real-time: as opposed to fake time
Award-winning: what are trade associations for?
Infrastructure software: even the IT guys don't understand what it does!

Source: "The Bullshit Pitch" and "Hype-jargon Hit List", Tornado Insider, August 2001

Try some of this stuff with the next sales/marketing guy you will meet!

*** Conferences *********************************************************

Given the recent events in New York, USA, Sinan Si Alhir (a regular contributor to the Methods & Tools newsletter) has freely volunteered to deliver two seminars in association with the "Thirteenth Week - On-line Seminars for the September 11th Fund" to raise funds to benefit the victims [http://www.thirteenthweek.com/september11.html]. The seminars are [http://www.thirteenthweek.com/seminars.html]:

* The Unified Modeling Language (UML) (Sinan Si Alhir)
- December 15, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM EST

* The Unified Process (UP) (Sinan Si Alhir)
- December 15 - 1:00 PM -2:30 PM EST

Seminars on other interesting software engineering topics (eXtreme Programming, Project Management, XML, JAVA, etc.) will also be presented. You will find a complete listing at http://www.thirteenthweek.com/seminars.html

 
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
November 2009
October 2009
August 2009
May 2009
April 2009
February 2009
January 2009
November 2008
October 2008
August 2008
May 2008
April 2008
February 2008
January 2008
November 2007
October 2007
August 2007
May 2007
April 2007
February 2007
January 2007
November 2006
October 2006
August 2006
May 2006
April 2006
February 2006
January 2006
November 2005
October 2005
August 2005
May 2005
April 2005
February 2005
January 2005
November 2004
October 2004
August 2004
May 2004
April 2004
February 2004
January 2004
November 2003
October 2003
August 2003
May 2003
April 2003
February 2003
January 2003
November 2002
October 2002
May 2002
April 2002
February 2002
January 2002
November 2001
October 2001
May 2001
April 2001
February 2001
January 2001
Winter 2000
Fall 2000

Methods & Tools
is supported by


Testmatick.com

Software Testing
Magazine


The Scrum Expert