Software.new

Pair Programming != Two Keyboards

curtisrcooley — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:59:58 +0000

At my previous job we pair programmed because we thought we were doing XP. I could go on and on about why we weren't, and perhaps I will in another post as an example of what not to do, but I won't. I want to write about the paring area and one mistake we made: two keyboards and mice at each station. Don't do that. Here's why.

I'm Back

curtisrcooley — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:58:31 +0000

So I figured out how to add captchas to Drupal, so I'm reviving the site. It never really went away, as I was working on replacing it when I decided to spend a little time looking into captchas for Drupal.

So, now you'll have to pass a captcha to enter a comment, send me a message, or request an account. Woo hoo, mark one against the spammers.

Ending the Godaddy + Drupal Experiment

curtisrcooley — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 15:34:23 +0000

I'm shutting down this site and moving my blog back to blogger.com. The lack of captcha support in Drupal has made maintaining this site unmanageable. I could force commenters to log in, but there doesn't seem to be captcha support for new members either, so I've got thousands of bot produced comments and pending accounts.

Thanks all you spambot writers. You're the scum of the internet, and may a yak with a thousands fleas bed your grandmother.

Comments Fixed

curtisrcooley — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 19:45:53 +0000

I never intended for readers to not be able to comment. It's my unfamiliarity with Drupal that caused the problem. I want comments. I intend my blog entries to start discussions not as a way to disseminate my infinite knowledge.

So, if you see this, please comment. And please leave comments on my other blog entries. It should all work now.

Do The Simplest Thing That Could Possibly Work

curtisrcooley — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 15:37:58 +0000

I was reading these posters and the one on simplicity made me think. It brilliantly summarized it with a simple concept: do the simplest thing, not the simplistic one. But what is the difference?

Rules of Simplicity:

Runs all the tests
Says everything once and only once (DRY)
Expresses all the ideas you want to express
Minimizes classes and methods

Iterations

curtisrcooley — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 18:59:59 +0000

Mike Bria (mbria) had an tweet the other day about iterations and why we prefer them. Iterations provide two primary benefits over non-iterative development. In no particular order:

Planning adjustment
Customer feedback

Why You Should Program To Interfaces Part I

curtisrcooley — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 19:52:27 +0000

The Open Closed Principle (OCP)

The Open Closed Principle (OCP) states that a system should be open to extension and closed to modification. In other words, it should be easy to add new functionality by not changing existing code. If you program to interfaces, it is much easier to follow the OCP.

Calculator No OCP

Let's build a very simple calculator.

class Calculator {
  int add(int x, int y) {
    return x + y;
  }
}

CR Software and Consulting

curtisrcooley — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 00:51:49 +0000

As an experienced Java developer and Agile Coach, I can help you build your software or help your team get better at building software. Click on the services link to find out more about the services I provide or click on the contact link to contact me. I have a proven track record of bringing projects in on time and on budget.