software development concepts
Bill Gates has often said that over time, the cost of computer hardware approaches zero. Here's one such example: Ten years out, in terms of actual hardware costs you can almost think of hardware as being free. History has proven him right. Computer hardware isn't literally
hardware
The mouse wheel is so integral to my mousing experience now that it's difficult to imagine using a GUI without one. Although I clearly remember using mice without scroll wheels, I can't recall exactly when the transition occurred-- when mouse wheels became a standard, expected feature
programming languages
It's hard to imagine now, but in the early days of Microsoft, Bill Gates was an actual programmer [https://blog.codinghorror.com/how-to-become-a-better-programmer-by-not-programming/]. One bit of hard evidence is the BASIC program DONKEY.BAS [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DONKEY.BAS] included with original IBM PCs running IBM
user experience
Asa Raskin, the son of the late Jef Raskin, recently gave a presentation at Google on the work his company, Humanized, is doing. It's largely a continuation of the work of his father. One of the most interesting aspects of Jef's work was zoomable user interfaces.
programming languages
My all-time favorite programming quote has to be this Nathaniel Borenstein bon mot: It should be noted that no ethically-trained software engineer would ever consent to write a DestroyBaghdad procedure. Basic professional ethics would instead require him to write a DestroyCity procedure, to which Baghdad could be given as a
podcast
It was my great honor to participate in this week's epsiode of .NET Rocks! [http://www.dotnetrocks.com/default.aspx?showNum=232] .NET Rocks! [http://www.dotnetrocks.com/] is a long running internet radio talk show for software developers that goes all the way back to 2002. I&
open source
Hugh MacLeod asks, if open source is so great, where are all the open source billionaires? If Open Source software is free, then why bother spending money on Microsoft Partner stuff? I already know what Microsoft's detractors will say: "There's no reason whatsoever. $40 billion
programming languages
The dot-com bubble [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dot-com_bubble] was a watershed event for software developers. You simply couldn't work in the field without having something miraculous or catastrophic happen to you. Or both at once. > The "dot-com bubble" was a speculative bubble covering
programming languages
A reddit user recently invoked link necromancy on a 1994 Donald Knuth letter [http://www.pluto.it/files/meeting1999/atti/no-patents/brevetti/docs/knuth_letter_en.html] to the U.S. Patent Office: > When I think of the computer programs I require daily to get my own work done,
software development
Electronic Arts is a lumbering corporate megalith today, pumping out yearly game franchise after yearly game franchise. It's easy to forget that EA was present at the very beginning of the computer game industry, innovating and blazing a trail for everyone to follow. Gamasutra's article We
programming languages
I occasionally get emails from people asking how to prepare for a career in software development. Some are students wondering what classes they should take; others have been bitten by the programming bug and are considering their next steps. I always answer with the same advice. There's no
blog
Alex Papadimoulis originally invited me to be a guest editor at The Daily WTF nearly six months ago. I was honored and accepted immediately. Since then, The Daily WTF has been rechristened Worse Than Failure. I'm a big fan of Alex and WTF; his blog is fantastic, and