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Methods & Tools - News, Facts & Comments Edition - August 2009
*** News *********************************************************
* SpringSource Acquired by VMware for $420 Million
August 10, VMware announced a definitive agreement to acquire SpringSource. Basically, WMware is spending more than its full 2008 income to acquire a company at more than ten times its current revenues. I view this acquisition as a risky bet on the future. Read more on: http://blog.martinig.ch/news/springsource-acquired-by-vmware-for-420-million/
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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/
*** Jobs Opening on SoftDevJobs.com ******************************
Find more than 130 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 August 2009
Unit Testing Has Changed How I Write Software
Every Tuesday at 1 PM EST Robert Dempsey answers your questions about Agile, live.
Sonar enables you to collect, analyze and report metrics on source code
Agavi is a powerful, scalable PHP5 application framework
Article: Practical Architecture in Impractical Times
Article: Patterns + GWT + Ajax = Usability!
Video: Good Test, Better Code - From Unit Testing to Behavior-Driven Development
Video: Empowering the Agile Team
Find more items in our directories: www.softdevtools.com, www.softdevarticles.com, www.softdevlinks.com, www.softdevtube.com, www.softdevblogs.com
*** Books ********************************************************
Remembering that Software is Made by People
There was a time when software developers worked with consultants that will do things for their company or teach some technical knowledge. Agile approaches have brought forward another type of people: coaches. According to Rachel Davies and Liz Sedley, a coach doesn't tell you what to do, rather she shows you how she thinks you might do things and hope that it will help you to improve your situation. She leads by example. It is not easy to write a book on this type of topic. The authors recognize this situation and manage to achieve a good balance between general advice and practical usage reports.
The first part of the book is concentrated on the basics of coaching and communicating in software project. The software development curricula are often weak on "people" skills and you are not always lucky to find the right person as a supervisor when you get out of school. I think I was lucky, thank you Claude ;o) The second part goes through the different activities of a typical Agile project (daily meeting, user stories definition, planning, etc.) and discuss how coach can help a project team to achieve its goals. Each chapter has a final checklist and the book is also full of "personal stories" from the authors that enhance the theoretical advice, applying it on real situations.
Although the title of the book and some of its content might make you think that its value is limited to an agile context, I will recommend this book to every person that has some supervision function in software development organizations and to every developer who believe than acquiring additional "people" skill might improve its work environment. Just changing the way you talk with colleagues could lead to having more sunnier days at the office.
Disclaimer: Rachel Davies has been a (valuable) contributor to Methods & Tools since 2005
Reference: "Agile Coaching", Rachel Davies and Liz Sedley, Pragmatic Bookshelf, 250 pages, to be released August 28, 2009
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
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Balancing Agility and Discipline
This book was written in 2004 by Barry Boehm and Richard Turner, but the fact that it is already on its 6th reprint tells something about its value. This is a very pragmatic book that tries to put in perspective agile and plan-driven software development approaches. By the way, the funny thing is that the word "waterfall" is rarely mentioned in the book. This may be due to its negative connotation and also to the fact that Barry Boehm favors a spiral approach. The book has also adopted a clever structure with a first "quick-read" part of 150 pages that provide the core of the material and then 100 pages of appendixes to treat some parts more specifically.
After a comparison of agile and plan-driven approaches, the book illustrates its vision of these two processes by presenting two project case studies. It offers also a risk-based approach for making methodology decisions that integrate agile and plan-driven practices. Even the book is not recent, it has the advantage of confronting agile and plan-driven approaches in a relatively objective way. Therefore, it is a very recommended reading for people that want to improve their software development process without wanting necessarily to be a "purist" of a particular approach. It is also a book where people that have already made their choice will be able to consider the "other" software development process with a different view and also gain a better insight on their own strengths and weaknesses.
Reference: "Balancing Agility and Discipline - A Guide for the Perplexed", Barry Boehm, Richard Turner, Addison Wesley, 265 pages
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)
* Denver, CO - October 5-9, 2009
* Las Vegas, NV - November 2-6, 2009
* Dallas, TX - December 7-11, 2009
Full day in-depth Software Testing and QA courses taught by Leading Industry
Experts in Software Testing & Quality
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* Software & Systems Quality Conferences
Software & Systems Quality, September 14, Zurich, Switzerland http://www.sqs-conferences.com/ch/index.htm
Software & Systems Quality, September 24-25 2009, Stockholm, Sweden http://www.sqs-conferences.com/se/index.htm
Software & Systems Quality, September 29 - October 1, London, UK http://www.sqs-conferences.com/uk/index.htm
Software & Systems Quality, October 28-29 2009, Melbourne, Australia http://www.sqs-conferences.com/au/index.htm
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* Agile 2009, August 24-28 2009, Chicago, USA
Attend Agile 2009 for access to the latest thinking in agile adoption. Bridge communities that rarely get a chance to exchange ideas and thoughts. Agile 2009 will be an exciting international conference about techniques and technologies, attitudes and policies, research and first-hand experience, from both the management and technical sides of agile software development.
http://agile2009.agilealliance.org/
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* The Ajax Experience: September 14-16, Boston, USA
40+ sessions across 8 tracks featuring best practices from renowned experts like Brendan Eich, Douglas Crockford, Joe Walker, and Ajaxian.com co-founders Dion Almaer and Ben Galbraith. View the agenda and register now to save $100.
http://ajaxexperience.techtarget.com/
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* Practical Software Quality and Testing Conference, September 14-18 2009, Minneapolis, 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.
http://www.psqtconference.com/2009north/
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* STARWEST 2009 Software Testing Analysis & Review Conference,
October 5-9 2009, Anaheim, USA
Providing the largest and most advanced testing forum, STARWEST 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. Register by September 4, 2009 and save up to $300!
http://www.sqe.com/go?SW09M&Tweb
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* Agile Business Conference 2009, October 13-14 2009, London, UK
Being Agile is more important this year than ever before – in fact the theme this year is Driving Success in Adversity. As organisations navigate their way through recession, completing successful business and technology change projects as quickly and efficiently as possible is even more essential. New this year is AgileCamp.
http://www.agileconference.org
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* Scandinavian Agile Conference 2009, October 15-16 2009, Helsinki, Finland
Scan-Agile: a place for the Nordic Software development professionals to meet. This year with international guest speaker Mary Poppendieck Don't miss the opportunity to meet other software development professionals and Agilists from the Nordic countries.
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* STPCon Fall 09, October 19-23 2009, Cambridge, USA
Join your software test and QA colleagues at STPCon Fall 09. Don't miss our new conference program featuring 5 conference tracks: Agile, Test Automation, Test Management, Performance & "FutureTest!" Take advantage of our in-depth training courses, conference sessions featuring the industry's leading speakers, expo, networking, & more!
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* Practical Product Lines 2009, October 20-21 2009, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
PPL2009 is a new event for software professionals working in software or system product lines. With a focus on providing actionable guidance, PPL2009 is a unique opportunity to learn from other practitioners the secrets of successfully building and managing product lines.
http://www.practicalproductlines.org/ppl2009/
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* Agile Tour 2009, October 20 2009, Toronto, Canada
Agile Tour 2009 lands in Toronto on Tuesday October 20th. Not only Agile novices and practitioners, but also managers and decision makers in the local software development industry will come together to listen, learn, discuss and teach techniques that improve the way businesses work. Don't miss this amazing opportunity and register today!
http://www.torontoagilecommunity.org
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* QA&TEST, October 21-23 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/index.php
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* Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference, October 26-28, Portland, USA
The mission of The Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference (PNSQC) is to enable knowledge exchange to produce higher quality software. PNSQC 2009 will consist of one-day of workshops and a two-day technical program featuring thought provoking presentations on Moving Quality Forward.
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* TheServerSide Java Symposium Europe, October 27-28 2009, Prague, Czech Republic
30+ sessions across 4 tracks featuring best practices from renowned experts like Andrew Lombardi, Eugene Ciurana, Reza Rahman, Andreas Reiss, Ross Mason and more. View the agenda and register now to save $100.
http://javasymposium.techtarget.com/
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* expo:QA International Software Testing and Quality Conference 2009, October 27-29, Madrid, Spain
* 30 lectures,
* Speakers from 10+ countries
* 3 tutorials by Tom Gilb, Jeff Johnson and Leo Van der Aalst,
* Exhibition hall with tools market leaders
Register before Sept. 11th and get the early bird discount. Exclusive additional PROMOTIONAL CODE for Methods & Tools Subscribers: EMT-DC
http://www.expoqa.com/en/conference-inscripcion.php
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* ApacheCon US 2009, November 2-6 2009, Oakland, USA
ApacheCon is the official user and developer 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. Free events include a 2-day BarCamp, Open Hackathon, MeetUps & BOFs.
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* IT Leadership Forum, November 2-4 2009, Phoenix, USA
The IT Leadership Forum, November 2-4, 2009 in Phoenix, AZ focuses on developing business competencies and leadership skills specific to established and emerging IT managers. Become a more effective leader and business partner and increase the strategic input of the IT department across your enterprise.
http://www.iirusa.com/itleadership
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* Agile Development Practices Conference, November 9-13, Orlando, FL
Learn the latest in agile methods, technologies, tools, and leadership principles from industry leaders delivering keynote presentations, in-depth tutorials, and conference classes. Network with your peers and discuss your challenges with experts in agile practices. *Register by 9/18/09 and get a hotel night on us plus up to $600 in savings!*
http://www.sqe.com/go?ADP09MTad
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* Devoxx, November 16-20 2009, Antwerp, Belgium
The Devoxx conference is a special blend of many IT disciplines, ranging from Java to Scripting, FX to RIA, Agile to Enterprise, Security to Cloud and much more.
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* ProjectWorld & World Congress for Business Analysts, November 16-18 2009, Anaheim, USA
Hear from industry leading CIO’s and move beyond the PMBOK® and the BABOK® to address REAL WORLD challenges within your industry. Meet intermediate and experienced project, program and portfolio management professionals as well as business analysts, EA and BPM corporate practitioners coming from both the business and IT sides.
http://www.iirusa.com/projectworldnovember
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* Handcrafted Bulletproof CSS, November 23 2009, London, UK
Learn how craftsmanship can apply to the intangibility of web design. Dan Cederholm will guide you though a case study, pointing out the details that matter most when designing flexible, bulletproof designs. Learn, flexiable grid design, bullet proof CSS techniques and design, "Progressive enrichment": Advanced CSS that works today, and much more
http://carsonworkshops.com/2009/dancederholm/index.html
*** M&T News *****************************************************
* More than 1000 Videos and Tutorials on SoftDevTube.com
There are now more than 1000 software development related videos and tutorials categorized on SoftDevTube.com. SoftDevTube is a repository of videos, interviews and tutorials focused on all software development activities.
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* Methods & Tools Article Pipeline
In future issues, you will find articles on:
* CMM and Scrum Combined
* Learning View
* Timing and Synchronization in Executable UML
* Test Automation Maturity
* The Spring Framework
* Ajax Security
* Agile Coaching
* Continuous Testing
* Large System Refactoring
* Automating Application Development and Delivery Processes
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The content of this publication cannot be reproduced without prior written consent of the publisher - Copyright (C) 2009, Martinig & Associates
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