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.
The so-called experts will tell you it can’t be done; it is not possible to create bug-free software, at least at low-cost for a non-trivial application. Now it seems, we have our first documented case of ostensibly zero-defect software.
Continue reading “Correctness by Construction: Praxis Scores!” »
Until Agile, software processes in general focused on larger projects. When applied to smaller projects they can become cumbersome and inefficient. Agile has demonstrated its value on relatively small projects, but it does not scale up well, and in my opinion some of its core tenets are incompatible with safety-critical development.
I just finished reading Steve McConnell’s Professional Software Development: Shorter Schedules, Higher Quality Products, More Successful Projects, Enhanced Careers. This is not a book about languages, software design, or coding techniques. It is a book about being a software professional, and about managing and leading software professionals. It is a book about the state of software development as a profession, and about what we should aspire for it to become. All that, and it is an interesting read.
Continue reading “Professional Software Development – A Book Review” »
By arrangement with Amazon.com; we are now able to offer books for sale through the My 2 Cents Bookstore page. So it is, that over this long holiday weekend, I’ve spent many hours wading through the full catalog of Amazon; looking for a selection of books that would be well suited to the readers of this site. If I can’t grow the readership simply through my writings perhaps the holidays will inspire droves of christmas shoppers to seek us out when looking for gifts for their favorite ultra-geek.
