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I’ve been writing software in C since 1991. While that was shortly after the ratification of the C89/90 standard, it took at least a few years for most compilers to catch up. So my formative years in C were spent developing code for compilers that weren’t yet standards conformant. Certain features were hit and miss. Since much of my development work involves C, I try to keep up with new developments. I freely admit that I don’t know it all; and every few years someone teaches me a new trick or hack that makes life just a little bit easier. Recently, I found a major gap in my understanding of one important aspect of the language.

Continue reading “Structs in Wonderland” »

The current economy has taken its toll. Over the past 3 years, I have spent more time between consulting assignments than on them. This is partly due to my proclivity toward highly specialized short-term assignments. The segment of the market in which I work has, in the past, been relatively recession-proof. That has not been the case this time around. Still, consulting work is out there; and I have been passed over for several assignments that I believed were uniquely suited to my particular skill set. This got me thinking that it might be time to re-evaluate my technical résumé.

Continue reading “Résumé Revamp” »

Not so very long ago, I was given an assignment to perform a forensic analysis on a piece of firmware. It seems that my client’s device had a rather spectacular failure which endangered many lives. The job was critical, but this was new territory for me.

Continue reading “Slicing with Dijkstra” »

As the holiday weekend winds down, the list of the worlds 500 fastest supercomputers has once again been updated. Since 1993 the list has been updated twice a year, and the world has watched as nations and corporations compete to move ahead and stay ahead of the competition. Publicity occasionally accompanies a major technology leap; but normally the updates go by without much fanfare.

Continue reading “Speed Demons” »

There are many books you can get if you want to learn to program in C++ and Java. There are books about how to perform software design for business, how to develop embedded systems, and how to develop complex algorithms; but what if you want to write high-assurance software using object-oriented techniques? We’ve got a resource for you.

Earlier this week, I attended a colloquium hosted by the Minnesota chapter of the IASA. The presenter was Roger Sessions, CTO of ObjectWatch, and the topic was “The IT Complexity Crisis”. The presentation was well-received by most of the audience, but I found myself somewhat at odds with the material.

Continue reading “Sessions on Architectural Complexity” »

It seems like every other article I write is about how rarely I am able to post to.  I hope that trend is about to end. My blog is moving to a new hosting provider, due to irreconcilable differences with my previous host.

Continue reading “My2Cents: Reborn” »

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