I read. A lot. And I share the five best things I read every week. This week’s list consists of a Gerry Weinberg article on requirements, a discussion on technical debt with Ward Cunningham and Capers Jones, charging cell phone batteries, a Foxconn worker and some cool art
1. Ambiguity in stating requirements
2. On technical debt
3. Charging cell phones
4. The poetry of a dead Foxconn worker
5. Movie title typos turned into art
My notes:
1. Ambiguity in stating requirements
Leave it to Gerry Weinberg to make a deep point in a simple manner. I do not like how much the software industry over-estimates the role of requirements. Good software is rarely made by just translating requirements into code. I feel like this chapter lays out a lot of what is wrong with relying too much on requirements.
2. On technical debt
Ward Cunningham and Capers Jones speak about technical debt. Overall, I was not very comfortable digesting the ideas here. May be I do not comprehend the problem yet. However, one idea stood out for me:
>>“Ward Cunningham: Of course, I think of software development as a learning process. Even with highly skilled developers, if they’re developing new software, there’s an aspect of learning what’s required to, in a sense, satisfy the customer and how to best express that with contemporary technology.”
3. Charging cell phones
Reddit ELI5 gives an answer to whether it is bad to keep your battery fully charged. Only the top 2-3 parent comments are worth reading. I found the topic interesting because I remember having similar discussions with friends when laptops were a new thing.
4. The poetry of a dead Foxconn worker
Yet another Foxconn worker commits suicide. This time though, looks like the press is engaging in some propaganda against Foxconn. I love the fact that they are using poetry from the dead worker. I hope conditions improve for the Foxconn workers.
5. Movie title typos turned into art
If movie titles had typos, what would their poster art look like? Someone has gone and hand drawn about 25 of them. Enjoy!
I want to find out what conditions produce remarkable software. A few years ago, I chose to work as the first professional tester at a startup. I successfully won credibility for testers and established a world-class team. I have lead the testing for early versions of multiple products. Today, I run Qxf2 Services. Qxf2 provides software testing services for startups. If you are interested in what Qxf2 offers or simply want to talk about testing, you can contact me at: [email protected]. I like testing, math, chess and dogs.
