Prefactoring: General Development Issues -- Developers often stop in the middle of a project's build stage to rethink and recode the software design, a process known as refactoring. "Prefactoring" advocates considering the best possible design patterns before you even begin your project. Chapter 3 of Prefactoring looks at some general development issues related to all forms of software development: interface contracts, communicating with code, simplicity, dealing with errors, and the spreadsheet conundrum. If you like this chapter, read the whole book (and up to nine others) on Safari with a free trial subscription.
How to Decide What Bugs to Fix When, Part 1
-- There are two challenges to making smart bug decisions:
first, understanding how to make good bug-fix decisions; and second,
creating and following rules that make it easy to stick to those
decisions when the pressure is high. In this first installment of a
two-part essay, Scott Berkun provides the core ideas you need to make
your own bug-fixing rules. Scott is the author of The Art of Project Management.
Scott Berkun on Dr. Dobb's
Great Writers NetSeminar Series -- Scott Berkun,
author of the newly released The Art of Project Management is
the first presenter in the new Great Writers NetSeminar Series
sponsored by Dr. Dobb's Journal and C/C++ User's Journal.
Scott, a long-time veteran, will offer invaluable perspectives and
techniques for project management on August 31 at 11:00 a.m. PT. Register
today (free) to reserve your place.
Form Your Own Design Pattern Study Group -- Like most complex subjects, design patterns are best learned over a period of time, not in a few sittings. Eric Freeman and Elisabeth Freeman, coauthors of Head First Design Patterns, suggest one way to ease the learning curve (and have some fun along the way): form a study group, using their book. If you're ready to get your engineering team together, the Freemans get you started in this article with a plan to follow and chapter-by-chapter questions to help generate
discussion.
