Better Software Articles

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The Factors of Function Testing

The premise behind function testing is to ensure that each program function does what it is supposed to do and nothing else. While it sounds pretty simple, there are some catches you should know about. Michael Bolton examines the twists and turns of function testing and offers some tips for working around them.

Michael Bolton's picture Michael Bolton
The Certainty of Uncertainty

All projects begin with a great deal of uncertainty. Mike Cohn takes a look at Alexander Laufer’s concepts of means and end uncertainties and explains why an iterative approach to product development is the best way to be certain your users get what they want.

Mike Cohn's picture Mike Cohn
Proving Our Worth

Testers exist to provide others with valuable information. But can you prove that your work contributes enough to justify the cost of testing? Lee Copeland seeks to end the anti-tester antagonism found in many organizations, which he says comes from a basic misunderstanding of the real purpose of testing.

Lee Copeland's picture Lee Copeland
Bridging the Gap: Agile Projects in the Waterfall Enterprise

Though agile software development has been around for a while, it has received a recent boost in popularity as organizations seek to better compete with their global counterparts. Michele Sliger offers some methodology-spanning principles to help ease agile processes into a traditionally waterfall-oriented organization.

Michele Sliger's picture Michele Sliger
The Many Layers of Ajax

Ajax began as a shortened form of "Asynchronus JavaScript and XML," but these days Ajax doesn't require XML and needn’t be asynchronous. Overcome your cravings for a richer user experience, and find out how Ajax can sweeten your Web application development in this article by Ajax expert Justin Gehtland.

Justin Gehtland
Honesty Is the Best Policy

The Squall team’s product prototype pleases big client Acme. But when the client won’t budge on its strict quality, time, or budgetary requirements, the Squall team leaders determine that the best they can offer Acme is the truth.

Payson Hall's picture Payson Hall
Silly Assumptions

Software development requires a variety of skills, but organizations shouldn’t assume that a worker can move to a new position—be it analyst, manager, or tester—without task-specific education or assistance.
 

Karl E. Wiegers
A Look at QuickBuild

Career software assembler Greg Kubaczkowski takes a look at QuickBuild, a Web-based, multi-platform, build management system that facilitates and automates builds with an intuitive user interface and a rich set of features.

Greg Kubaczkowski
Fighting Temptation

Programmers must balance time, business needs, and a long-term maintenance profile while producing code. Are you willing to accept the easy path now, even if it means trouble down the road? Tod Golding explains that the fastest way may not always be the right way.

Tod Golding's picture Tod Golding
Software Is a Service

According to Brian Marick, software is little more than a service that has been made into an easily mass-produced form. Because of that, software may be attractive only to its creators—but it still should serve its users faithfully.

Brian Marick

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