SoapUI is a developer’s friend

Lately, I’ve been writing ASP.Net Web Services for more than a few projects.  With the advent of AJAX and the slow demise of EDI, so much data is moving over the web via XML.  With that, comes a need to develop, test and debug those web services.  Luckily, there is a great open source tool out there called SoapUI.

I can’t tell you how handy this tool is for building Soap requests against those web services.  It’s helped me unit test my code, helped confirm a production site is online and load test too.  Take a look at all of these features.  If you don’t agree that this is a developer’s friend, well… go build your own.

Web site scalability tips at highscalability.com

Imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon www.highscalability.com this morning.  I, like any developer, would love to build that one great website that generates some revenue with little to no overhead (think Craigslist).  That being said, I have almost no chance of doing so.  The reasons are plenty but the main reason is scalability and how to achieve it.

Luckily (or not so luckily) highscalability.com offers valuable tips and lessons learned from people who work at or run some of the major web sites.  This makes for some great reading.  It wasn’t that long ago, when people like myself, wondered aloud “How did they do that?” or “I wonder what they learned or uncovered along the way?”.  Well, in today’s community oriented development mindset (re: open source), sharing is the path to enlightenment (and/or asymmetric competition).

Enjoy the read… I’ve got to get back to database sharding.

Microsoft Certified Master, it’s only $18,500

I’m as excited as anyone at the prospect of SQL 2008 and its requisite certifications coming out later this year, but this took me by surprise.  Not only is the price of admission into this certification $18,500, it also requires 3 weeks of classroom training in Redmond.  At least you get to breath the heady air of the Microsoft Campus.  That must be worth something.

Independents Week, how did you do?

I was extremely excited to participate in Independents Week last week (see post). Now it’s time to recount the hits and misses from my original goals and a few surprises along the way. How did you do? I managed to spend $626.00 locally.

The surprises:

Chompies: Attended the COR3 Referral Group - Chompies meeting, but only had a soda. $3. P.S. Great group of people here, I may just join this group.

Casa Reynoso: A developer who works for a client, took me here for lunch on Tue for some great Tex-Mex food. $12

George & Dragon: I met up with some ex-coworkers for happy hour (and dinner) right before the Silverlight User Group meeting. $20

Amano Bistro: Also a miss but I did get my Italian locally, we went to La Piazza El Forno, in downtown Glendale. Fantastic! I will be back! $40

Diamondbacks: Took in the baseball game on Fri, hired a pedal cab, and had some amazing tamales from a stand right near section 138. $20

The hits:

New windshield: Done. $378.

Groceries: Done at Bashas Ahwatukee store. $146.

Golf: Done. Snuck out at 3pm on Wed. for Aguila. $7.

The misses:

AC checkup: They never called me back. Typical contractors….probably on Lake Havasu in the biggest boat you can imagine.

Ad buy: I couldn’t get my graphics together in time, spending too much time managing my current projects.

Athenian Express: Client couldn’t meet this week. So sad on two fronts (i.e. need to touch base with client and stomach needs some amazing Greek food).

Random thoughts - June 2008

Thanks a log! (Anonymous poster)

It’s like the first brownie out of the tin, it’s ugly.

I am harvesting.  (Thanks - Clate Mask for the post).

 

Third party controls haunt old systems

Recently had the opportunity to bid on a new project for a potential client.  During my first conversation with this company, they had an MS Access front and back end.  During my second conversation, we discovered it was a Visual Basic 6 front end application with a MS Access back end database.  No matter, just another application, right?

Wrong.  An email thread was discovered between the potential client and the original developer of the software.  The title:  What you asked for.  Well, not quite (in my eyes).  The contents?  3 custom controls from 2 different companies, 3 freeware controls from freewhereville and Crystal Reports 8.  Crystal I can live with, as it was a fairly standard reporting tool in VB6, since MS never really offered a good one.

As is par for the course, the original developer owned the licenses and not the customer.  This is a complete disservice.  If you are a developer, you embed these controls in an application and you don’t let your customer know, you as a developer are at fault.  The customer deserves the opportunity to weigh the pros, cons and long term impact of their choice.

So here we are.  No original developer.  No licenses for the third party controls.  Difficulty reviewing the design of the original system.  No chance of deploying an update to the old system.  The customer and the (potential) new developer left with few choices moving forward.

Signs of a death march software project

A great programmer (and friend) I know recently shared an absolutely wonderful blog post on new systems of software development that got me thinking.  Is there a list out there that contains all of the signs of a death march project?  I couldn’t really find any more than this one here, from Informit.  I knew I had one, that I wrote late one night when I couldn’t sleep because of the project, and felt this list had to be shared.  While it comes no where close to covering all of the signs, it’s a start.  If you have suggestions of your own, please free to add your comments…

1)  One or more persons thinks that with enough hard work, the deadline can be met or the project itself saved.
 
2)  Analysis and documentation give way to haste.
 
3)  Requirements are thought to be elastic.
 
4)  Many commitments made, too few balance checks.
 
5)  Validity, volume and veracity of data is underestimated.
 
6)  Schedules are no longer kept up to date, i.e. what is really happening is hidden.

7)  The project owner utters “I should kill this project right now” but doesn’t.

 

Using technology to go international

Since I am always interested in small business and technology, I was impressed by the quality of this article.  It really shows how a small business can utilize or harness the web to make a business global.  Very cool!

Why I love IMAP!

As someone who provides a service, i.e. my technical know how, to whomever and whereever the customer may be, here in Phoenix, I am very mobile.  As a consequence, I may be answering an email using my phone (Treo 700wx, which I love), using the Internet at a client site or sitting right here in front of the laptop in my office.  I may be answering an email on a thread that is many days old.  I may need the content of an email I sent 3 weeks ago, right now, right whereever. 

IMAP, the internet message access protocol, makes my remoteness entirely possible.  You see, in the good old days, web hosting companies only provided POP3 which required you to download the email to answer it.  Get it?  Download.  As in, download to my PC, to my phone, etc..  After that, you better have that same download device around if you need to dig up that email thread.  Same goes for emails you sent.   IMAP uses the client-server model to manage your email.  In other words, no download.  It all stays on the server, every day and every where.  Thank you, IMAP!  In one small way, you make my small business better.

Why do I support local businesses?

Why not? If you have a choice between sending profits back to another state or country, why not put them back into Arizona? Those dollars go right into your neighbors pocket, your school down the street and the quality of your community. If you’re not supporting your community with your dollars or your time, why live there in the first place?

I don’t know about you but I get much better service at my locally owned restaurant over the big chains. I just can’t see the value in having this weeks’ trainee bring or cook this quarters menu option. I would much rather have the owners son or daughter help me out because I know I am directly helping them. Perhaps I am also helping out the softball team they support. Perhaps I am helping their local vendors too. Perhaps this business will grow to a stage where they will hire someone like me, or a neighbor or a friend.

Self satisfaction and self fulfillment are the reasons I support local business.