Z Trek: The Alan Zeichick Weblog

Software quality assurance by the numbers

What do enterprise software developers think about software quality within their organizations? We asked SD Times subscribers and the results may surprise you.The research project was conducted in July 2012 by BZ Research (like SD Times, a division…
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A deep breath before the Yamim Noraim, the Days of Awe

This is one of a series of articles I wrote for the monthly Bulletin of Peninsula Temple Sholom in Burlingame, Calif. Sermons are being written. Tiles are being laid. Tickets are being sorted. White neckties are being cleaned. Shofarot…
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Apple’s victory over Samsung should drive innovation

The jury is in: Samsung was found to have infringed upon Apple’s numerous mobile patents. The jury’s verdict form, handed down in the United States District Court in San Jose, Calif., found that in many cases that the “Samsung entity…
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The new Microsoft logo

The temptation to write about Microsoft’s brand-new logo is almost unbearable. I’ve been trying to resist but… okay. I can’t resist any longer. Microsoft has a new logo. It has color squares reminiscent of the four color blocks…
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Preying on human weakness with well-designed faux emails

This past week, I’ve started receiving messages from eFax telling me that I’ve received a fax, and to click on a link to download my document. As a heavy eFax user, this seemed perfectly normal… until I clicked one of the links. It took…

Riding on the Metro, or the Windows 8 Style UI

I remember searching for the perfect wordsI was hoping you might change your mindI remember a soldier sleeping next to meRiding on the MetroThe group Berlin wrote the song The Metro in 1983. The lyrics evoke rail trips through London and Paris,…

Vacuum cooking as a metaphor for agile development

Sous-vide is an interesting way of cooking. It’s not new – according to the Wikipedia, sous-vide (pronounced soo-veed, meaning “under vacuum”) was invented in 1799. Since we’re quoting from the Wikipedia, might as well keep going:Sous-vide…
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To the parents of Religious School childen

This is one of a series of articles I wrote for the monthly Bulletin of Peninsula Temple Sholom in Burlingame, Calif. Dear Parents of the Children in Preschool and Religious School, Welcome to the beginning of a new year of exciting…
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Praesent Et Urna Turpis Sadips

Quisque ligulas ipsum, euismod atras vulputate iltricies etri elit. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Nulla nunc dui, tristique in semper vel, congue sed ligula. Nam dolor ligula, faucibus…
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Donec At Mauris Enim Duis Untis

Quisque ligulas ipsum, euismod atras vulputate iltricies etri elit. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Nulla nunc dui, tristique in semper vel, congue sed ligula. Nam dolor ligula, faucibus…

Proin Sodales Quam Nec Sollicit

Quisque ligula ipsum, euismod aturesit vulputate a, ultricies et elit. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Nulla nunc dui, tristique in semper vel, congue sed ligula. Nam dolor ligula,…
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Nunc Tincidunt Elit Cursus

Quisque ligula ipsum, euismod a vulputate a, ultricies et elit. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Nulla nunc dui, tristique in semper vel, congue sed ligula. Nam dolor ligula, faucibus…
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Class Aptent Taciti Soci Ad Litora

Quisque ligula ipsum, euismod a vulputate a, ultricies et elit. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Nulla nunc dui, tristique in semper vel, congue sed ligula. Nam dolor ligula, faucibus…
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Maecenas Euis Vehicula

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec ac ipsum purus. Proin varius urna eget massa feugiat vel imperdiet nibh dictum. Donec ut felis id enim tristique hendrerit id nec ante. Curabitur a nulla risus. Quisque quam nibh,…

Voluptas sadips ipsums sit dolores

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec nec eros eget nisl fringilla commodo. Maecenas ornare, augue ut ultricies tristique, enim lectus pretium quam, quis bibendum metus tellus sed magna. Donec eu dolor lacus. Mauris…
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Nam Viverra Euismod Odio Gravida

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam viverra euismod odio, gravida pellentesque urna varius vitae. Sed dui lorem, adipiscing in adipiscing et, interdum nec metus. Mauris ultricies, justo eu convallis placerat, felis enim…

Software QA focused on developers – and not the cloud

Remember the old saying, “Everyone is talking about the weather, but nobody is doing anything about it?” That’s pretty much the case when it comes to using the cloud as part of a software QA process.In research conducted by SD Times in…

Don’t roll your own math

When it comes to writing code with advanced numerical functions, my advice is clear: Use libraries. Don’t roll your own algorithms.Generally speaking, I’m a fan of modular code reuse, especially for complex functions like UI controls, database…

With mobile, it’s all about the installed base

At the Google I/O 2012 conference, the Internet giant announced the availability for its Chrome browser for both Android and iOS devices – both tablets and handsets.The next day, I was able to install the Chrome browser for iOS immediately…

Cisco and the undesirable consequences of automatic firmware updates

Harmless kerfuffle? Abuse of corporate power? Enablement of Big Brother? No matter what you call it, Cisco’s recent firmware updates to its Linksys home routers is troubling.According to a story published on ExtremeTech by Joel Hruska, “Cisco’s…

Android and iOS advance, BlackBerry retreats, Windows Phone relaunches

The past few weeks has seen a lot of excitement in the mobile space. This past week we had Google I/O, where we got a first look at Android 4.1 “Jelly Bean,” which offers solid improvements. The previous week Microsoft unveiled Windows Phone…
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See you in the parking lot!

This is one of a series of articles I wrote for the monthly Bulletin of Peninsula Temple Sholom in Burlingame, Calif. It all began in the PTS parking lot one sunny Sunday. I was waiting to pick up my son Michael from Religious School and…

Is that really you, Dave?

Bet you never thought that AI would have tremendous applications to the field of computer security. AI's challenge: Someone logs into your network or multi-user system using Dave's userid and password. Can your computer be sure that it's Dave…

It’s SaaS for the gold, followed by PaaS and private clouds

Which cloud models are developers working with? The short answer is – many different models are in play.In May, we enlisted subscribers to SD Times and News on Monday to help us understand how they are building and testing applications using…

Looking for the action? You’ll find it in the cloud

The temperature is rising, at least when it comes to developing and deploying in the cloud. In a survey of SD Times subscribers, 44.0% said that they are currently using the cloud to build or test applications, or to deploy applications. Another…

Calling winners — and non-winners — in the 2012 SD Times 100

Every year, I look forward to the judging and unveiling of the SD Times 100. The editors of SD Times and SDTimes.com spend literally months discussing the state of the industry, talking about leaders and innovators, where things are heading,…

Windows Live ends without even a whimper, and won’t be missed

Remember Microsoft’s Windows Live brand? To be honest, I’d forgotten all about it. Randall Stross, a writer for the New York Times, noted its demise in “Goodbye to Windows Live (and Whatever It Meant),” and that sparked some vague memories.Windows…

Oracle, Google, Motorola and patents

According the jury, Google did not infringe on two Oracle patents. That news came the same day, May 22, that Google closed its acquisition of Motorola Mobility.The acquisition sailed through smoothly, and Google was quick to try to assure other…
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The handheld and the tablet, circa 1976

Let’s talk about the HP-67 and HP-97 programmable calculators. Introduced in 1976, both those models hold place of pride in my collection of vintage computation devices – which consists of a tremendous number of older Hewlett-Packard…
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Fight back against the ugly ‘brogrammer’ trend

I don’t like the trend toward ‘brogrammers’ – that is, a very chauvinistic, juvenile attitude that seems to be creating a male-centric, female-exclusionary culture in software development departments – and across IT. It’s time…