MDX: Why it will matter to application developers
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That's Multi-Dimensional eXpressions to you, guv Since when did application developers need to know about an analytical querying language like MDX? Since February 27th, next year. Thatâs when Microsoft will launch SQL Server 2008. Of course, youâll still have breathing space because, as we are painfully aware, launching and actually delivering products are, in Microsoftâs world, now completely different eventsâ¦..â¦
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Gartner Inc. research director Rich Mogull says that customization of off-the-shelf software is the weakest link in application security. He spoke at the Gartner IT Security Summit in Sydney. Needless to say, some vendors in attendance were moved to respond.
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With test-driven development being promoted as one thing that can help encourage better coding, most developers are looking into its use and how it can help. Paul Jones takes an opposite approach, though, and looks at how it could cause "ravioli code" in an application.   I know that test-first and test-driven development (TDD) are popular methodologies these days, but something about those processes has always met with a level of mental resistance from me. Even though it sounds good in theory, I have been intuitively wary of the "test-first" mentality for some reason. My own approach is closer "remember to code so you can test it later" and then "test-last" after the API is mostly stable.   He includes quotes from Slashdot comment quotes from AuMatar and dkf. Be sure to check out the comments on the post (17 of them at the time of this posting) for some opinions from others about test-driven development and how it can affect your code.   Blogs also mentioning this discussion:   PHP in Action another post from Paul on some of the responses
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At this organization, IT has one hammer for all nails: a big relational database and a rigorous development process. That works well for major applications, but it's not so great for simple apps.
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In a follow-up to a previous blog post, Alexey Zakhlestin shares a few more thoughts on the project and the proper object hierarchy's going for.   actually, I changed it completely 3 times already in my thoughts. I finally "see the light"(tm) and will implement it on a weekend. I think about converting SCGI-part to a simple "driver" and move all http-related stuff to a separate driver-agnostic set of classes. This way, I would be able to implement FastCGI as anther driver without altering applications. If you have any better ideas - let me know.   He also includes a link to another sample application that uses the functionality to create a pie chart (including some benchmarks) with the help of the eZ components framework.
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Padraic Brady has posted a manifesto of sorts about the work that he's been doing on his PHPSpec library and trying to work it into the approval process for the Zend Framework.   I'll be attempting to pound the Zend Framework into submission so I can apply Behaviour-Driven Development (BDD) using PHPSpec when I write a Controller. Why? Because I feel like it, and it gives me an excuse to promote one possible incarnation of PHPMock and the PHPSpec Zend Framework extension. See? Perfectly reasonable selfishness!   He hopes to move it past the typical test-driven development process that PHPUnit offers and "kick your ass into high-TDD gear" without having to have worked much with it before then (the key is simplicity).   He includes some code examples (how it should flow) and describes some of the challenges that he's coming across so far, specifically with the way that the Zend Framework works with the Controllers and what he wants to accomplish.
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Like many, I was pretty shocked by the recent Microsoft-EU deal to settle the long-running investigation into interoperability issues.  This was not so much because of the way Microsoft has used every kind of delaying tactic it could before eventually agreeing (for the nth time) to try harder in the future.  My real dismay was provoked by the gap between appearance and reality â a chasm that I think bodes ill for the future of open source. read more
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Gone are the days when free software could blithely ignore what was happening in the world of proprietary code.  The two approaches are now inextricably intertwined as more and more users and companies choose to run both.  One paradoxical consequence of this is that as free software becomes more widely deployed, Microsoft's impact on it becomes greater.  Against this background, a recent shift in Microsoft's public statements about open source assumes a particular importance.
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Compuware on Tuesday will announce tools providing fault simulation and security analysis for developers building applications on the Microsoft platform.ADVERTISEMENTReducing the Total Cost of OwnershipLearn how to reduce the total coast of ownership in enterprise data management in this case study.
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Bigger and brawnier isn't necessarily better for everyone. FileMaker's new desktop database adheres to the Apple division's credo that ease of installation and use is more important to its user community than whizzy new features that add bulk and complexity.
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According ZDNet&#39;s survey of IT professionals in August, application development is the last priority, but nonetheless an important one.
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On the SpinDrop blog, Dave Dash talks about a hole that he felt in his bug fixing for a project, something that he felt like the application had simply left out - a framework.   My client noted that these scripts were made from another contract programmer, and then a light-bulb went onâ¦ frameworks (whether it be symfony, ROR, Django, CakePHP, etc) help iron out and standardize these tasks.   He lists some of the basics of what a framework can help with, including storing data (both in the database and in things like $_SESSION) and a big one - form validation. Sure, you can do these things outside of any of the named frameworks out there, but they can make them simpler for any application written within them.
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SQL Server 2005 offers compelling reasons to embrace the Microsoft Business Intelligence platform for information needs across your enterprise. This paper explains the extensive feature set from the perspective of business value. It will help you make informed decisions about upgrading or migrating your business intelligence platform to SQL Server 2005.
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The Zend Developer Zone has another new tutorial from Padraic Brady talking about testing your applications (i.e. unit tests). In this new article, he expands on his previous one and dives a bit deeper into the behaviour-driven development process.   In this article, I introduce a TDD related practice called Behaviour-Driven Development which has been gathering attention for over a year and gaining converts (like me!).   He briefly covers what BDD is and how it can be used to solidify code against issues that might come up down the road (and how it compares to test-driven development). Some sample code/tests are included to give you a better idea of how it all fits together - a set of scenarios for any given "story". True to the title, Padraic writes his tests around the construction of a Klingon Bird of Prey ship.
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I appreciate when a vendor succeeds at developing a very good application. But what I find more admirable is when a vendor recognizes the deficits in its solutions, makes no excuses, and quickly goes back to the drawing board to make that app excellent.ADVERTISEMENTNEW IT SERVICES FROM IBM: EASIER TO BUY AND IMPLEMENTDiscover a simpler, more cost-effective way to get the solutions your company needs to grow more flexible and efficient.
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Using the Visual Studio 2008 development platform with SQL Server 2008 will require a patch.
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(Source: MKS) Many of today's requirements management tool purchases are misguided: Application development and program management professionals often buy requirements management tools for the wrong reasons and select tools that are out of line with their needs. In this independent report, Forrester advises app dev organizations to be realistic about the problems that a requirements management tool can address, the level of tooling that they require, and their ability to build and maintain tool integrations.