EXE articles from July 1999

EXE archives from July 1999

For the sake of simplicity.(software complexity)(Technology Information)
July 1, 1999... Software development is about many things, one of which is the management of complexity. It is a lesson that has been oft repeated, but apparently not as often heeded. The inherent complexity of a software system is something that we can do...

Critical first aid?(Microsoft invests in Inprise)(Company Business and Marketing)
July 1, 1999... Microsoft has purchased $25 million of non-voting Inprise stock and has given a further $100 million of cash. Inprise insists that there are no strings attached to this investment and that it will allow them to move ahead faster with, for...

A question of trust; Big Brother is watching you! Actually, Big Brother doesn't see too well. Jules peers back.(Editorial)
July 1, 1999... 'Good Morning!' beamed the appallingly cheery postman. Drawing on my natural wit and humour, I greeted him with a reciprocal 'Uggh?' It was, you see, first thing in the morning - an insistent banging on the door had summoned me back to the...

Self-selection of the species?; Alex Telford ventures into the sensitive territory of programmer intelligence and language design, uncovering a process of self-selection within the industry. Unfortunately, all is far from well when the different groups struggle to communicate-.(Technology Information)
July 1, 1999... Discussion of programmer intelligence is unfashionable, perhaps even inadvisable, for political correctness holds that measuring people on a scale can lead to discrimination. All that is allowed, says PC, are jokey terms like 'no-brainer' and...

Putting Windows in their place; The Microsoft Installer technology represents a major overhaul of installation practices. Ian Murphy believes it will be welcomed by those in charge of corporate support budgets, but what about the onus placed on the developer?(Product Information)
July 1, 1999... We all know the feeling of installing a new application and then watching a bunch of other applications fail. Maybe you just deleted an application and now something totally unrelated has failed. Of course, if you have spent any time on a...

A visual transformation; Traditionally, Unix has been terse and cryptic, providing maximum effort for minimum keystrokes. But Peter Collinson welcomes a more princely user interface - Gnome, the Free Software Foundation's window-based GUI.(Technology Information)
July 1, 1999... Since Unix emerged from the academic environment into the competitive commercial world in the early '80s, the media has been quick to label it as 'not ready for the desktop'. This labelling started back when nearly all input to computers that...

Power and flexibility with Java Servlets; Tom Guinther gets to grip with the server-side components that allow you to extend the functionality of a web server in a modular way.(Technology Information)
July 1, 1999... If your primary motivation for developing in Java is the design and implementation of web-based architectures and you're not currently using Java Servlets, then you may be missing a key piece of the architecture puzzle. Java Servlets, in case...

WebClasses - extra tuition; Jon Perkins continues his coverage of the VB 6.0 WebClass technology.(Technology Information)
July 1, 1999... Last month I discussed the basics of WebClass technology, notably the simple Request/Response model that facilitates the passing of information from client to server and back. This month I am expanding the topic to provide deeper coverage of...

Maximum insecurity.(Y2K planning)(Industry Trend or Event)
July 1, 1999... So there you are, doing a 5-stretch for a white-collar job in Dartmoor, on New Year's Eve, when all of a sudden the locks click open, the gates swing apart, and the screws run off and hide in solitary because Mad Dog Delphi Dan is now at large....

www.welcome-to-prison.co.uk.(Government Activity)
July 1, 1999... So what do you do while waiting for the Long Arm of the Law to reach out and feel your collar for using a sieve sort instead of a qsort in that ambulance dispatch system? You know they're going to get you - it's only a matter of time before...

Stob Raider; 'My life is just as glamorous as Lara Croft's,' claims Verity Stob, wildly. 'I should think Eidos could make a very exciting game out of it.'.(Technology Information)
July 1, 1999... Practice level: Verity's flat. Take your time to explore your surroundings and hone your game control skills.Scenario: It is a weekday morning. Verity has to get up and get ready for work. There are two secrets to be found.Opening doors: When...