Common Sense Systems
Quality work delivered on-time, on-scope and on-budget.
I was working with a client yesterday, conducting a virtual meeting in Microsoft Teams. The intent of the meeting was to discuss possible ways to move forward with one of the client’s business systems. I prepared for the meeting by developing a few logic trees. Maybe it’s just me, but I find pushing virtual sticky …
This article came up on Hacker News recently. It resonated with me even given its lack of depth. Most of what we deal with in software engineering is subjective. Let me offer a case in point. I have worked on projects where there is a working code base that happens to be written in C. …
I had breakfast with a friend this morning. One of the things we discussed was keeping a smaller digital footprint, or in other words, keeping more of your life private and less easily discovered by people that might want to cancel you. The following are things I recommend: Business / Personal Cell Phone In general …
‘You cannot reduce the complexity of your problem by increasing the complexity of your language.‘ Niklaus Wirth When it is really in an organization’s best interest to convert from an older programming language like C to more modern language like C++? I have used C++ for a long time. I started using it in 1992 …
I have enjoyed programming in Common Lisp for decades. Learning and programming in Lisp can help a person to develop a greater appreciation of different problem solving strategies. “Lisp has jokingly been called “the most intelligent way to misuse a computer.” I think that description is a great compliment because it transmits the full flavor …
One of my first software engineering projects after earning my degree in Computer Science in 1983 was working on an interpreter for Wang BASIC-2. A company here in Seattle was heavily invested in computer systems manufactured by Wang Laboratories and needed to port their application software to other mini and microcomputer systems. It was a …
This is a good article on the benefits that can be had by implementing statistical process control (SPC). As an overall strategy for organizations I suggest that they start with a methodology like the Theory of Constraints (TOC) by Dr. Eli Goldratt. Doing a credible job on implementing TOC in a software group (or any …
