News (21)

Nokia to acquire Linux firm Trolltech

Nokia is to buy Trolltech, the company whose Linux-based Qt application-development framework is at the core of many PC and mobile applications including Google Earth and Skype. Read more »

'Dungeons & Dragons' goes virtual

When Turbine Games releases "Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach" early next year, executives there are hoping the new creation can reach the untold millions who played and loved the original, paper-based role-playing game. Read more »

Google Android's new battleground: Developers

Google executives have a lot of work ahead of them as they court application developers skeptical of the search king's new open software platform for mobile devices. Read more »

Azure manages to avoid a Hailstorm of criticism

Microsoft's Hailstorm prompted an avalanche of criticism when it was proposed seven years ago, but developers seem to have few qualms with Windows Azure, which embraces many of the same notions. Read more »

Shuttleworth defends Firefox licence in Ubuntu

Mark Shuttleworth, whose company, Canonical, funds the Ubuntu operating system, has stepped in to try to resolve a dispute on Ubuntu developer's forum Launchpad. Read more »

Facebook botnet risk revealed

Researchers have created a proof-of-concept application for Facebook that turned the machines of people who added the app to their Facebook page into elements of a botnet that in a demonstration launched denial-of-service attacks on a victim server. Read more »

Google Chrome faster than Firefox, IE, Safari

Google introduced Chrome in part because it wants faster browsing and the richer Web applications that speed will unlock. So how does Chrome actually stack up? Read more »

Mozilla: Web apps faster with Firefox 3.1

Firefox 3.1 will run many Web-based applications such as Gmail faster through incorporation of a feature called TraceMonkey that dramatically speeds up programs written in JavaScript, Mozilla said Friday. Read more »

Microsoft dismisses dual boot OLPC

Software giant Microsoft has said it rejected plans to develop a dual-boot iteration of Windows XP to run on One Laptop per Child XO machines, and instead is developing a version of XP specifically for the XO. Read more »

Open-source legal body sues over GPL violation

The Software Freedom Law Center has filed suit against Monsoon Multimedia, with potential repercussions for others besides the defendant. Read more »

Features (68)

Test Driven Development explained

This month Steve Hayes introduces Test Driven Development and its importance in agile development projects. Read more »

Understanding the pros and cons of the Waterfall Model of software development

Waterfall development is a software development model involving a phased progression of activities, marked by feedback loops, leading to the release of a software product. This article provides a quick and dirty introduction to the model, explaining what it is, how it's supposed to work, describing the six phases, and why the model can fail. Read more »

Five common errors in requirements analysis (and how to avoid them)

In the traditional waterfall model of software development, the first phase of requirements analysis is also the most important one. Read more »

Mini-glossary: Project management terms you should know

Effective communication is a key element of successful project management, which makes a common language essential. This glossary will help your team standardise on frequently used PM terms, from critical path to Gantt chart to scope change management. Read more »

Dream development: Staff mentoring

It's important for IT managers to take the time to set goals and mentor their staff. Here are some staff development techniques. Read more »

Pair programming - it takes twice as long

Pair programming is one of the most contentious practices within Extreme Programming - both supporters and detractors can become quite emotional. So what is pair programming, and why do people become so emotional about it? Read more »

OOP's domination of procedural programming

Learn why you should embrace object oriented programming and the importance of using it effectively. Here's what every project manager should know about OOP development. Read more »

What can ASP.NET Starter Kits do for you?

Microsoft's ASP.NET Starter Kits can help you roll out a full-featured Web site fast. But what are the pros and cons of this free Microsoft offering? Read more »

Totally RAD: we road test five IDEs

Builder AU technical editor, David McAmis gets down and dirty with the most popular IDE's to see how they they stack up as Rapid Application Development (RAD) tools. Read more »

Digging code: Software archaeology

At first glance, business software developers have little in common with Indiana Jones. But the emerging field of software archaeology applies some of the same skills, if not the dashing adventure. Read more »

Blog (3)

The Downside of RAD

David McAmis [blogs:theneteffect] -- Rapid Application Development is all the hype lately, with claims of being able to churn out functional applications in under two weeks. One popular technique is to lock end-users and developers in a conference room for 10 days and build the application on the fly. Read more »

In a world of Goliaths, who's got a stone?

David McAmis [blogs:theneteffect] -- It seems like it is that time of year again... the days are getting longer, the weather is getting a bit warmer and the top-tier software vendors are on a buying spree. Will you get lost in the shuffle? Why not support your local software developer! Read more »

Still many questions about software for mobile computers

Staff [blogs:syslog] -- The great thing about the development of future mobile computers is that no one school of thought has come to dominate the territory. Of course, that's also a problem. Read more »

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