Archive for June, 2010
There’s a new site that’s been being sent around for a few days now, Launchlist. There is one main issue with it: instead of focusing on why not to launch a new site, you should focus on why to launch a new site.
It’s far too easy to get bogged down in the details of what else do I need to launch a new site. Granted, when you have a major site already in production, that is a different scenario and you’re going to want to go through a full set of testing. However, when it’s something new, it’s easy to get distracted by things that ultimately will not matter.
The 28 items that Launchlist recommends are great items to accomplish with a site, and really should be part of every site. But, when it comes down to it, many things can be eventual goals. Like support for Opera and larger resolution testing. Sure, those things should be on the to-do list, and yes, I am a big fan of Opera, but the fact is it’s not a high percentage of users who will be affected, so is it really worth delaying a launch because of that?
In the day and age of modern web development, it’s very easy to put out new releases when you need to update. The stringent testing should always be there, but in an agile environment, it’s easy to update something on the fly and roll out a new version for all users, so why give someone a reason to not launch?
June 28, 2010
Another bus ride, another blog post from my phone.
With my Droid Incredible, though I love the native typing interface, I do find typing long passages with my thumbs to be problematic. Sure, the autocomplete features are great and help in a lot of ways, it’s still tough to type long messages.
I, like I’m sure everyone else, have seen the blackberry commercial with the guy setting a record for text messaging by dragging his finger around. I figured it was a gimmick. So, when I heard about the beta for droid users, I was skeptical.
Then a friend and coworker, Matt, tweeted about Swype, and how he recommended trying it, I decided to go for it. It’s been two days and I’m more than happy I made the switch.
The intelligence, for lack of a better word, is nothing short of impressive. Rarely does it get a word wrong and even then I feel like I screwed something up.
I was worried about a learning curve, and having it not be worth my time, but it took very little time to get used to it and I was quickly able to type far faster than with a traditional QWERTY touchscreen.
Every now and then, someone comes up with something so simple and so easy to use, it’s just mind-boggling. Swype is like that.
June 18, 2010
One software development book that I have found is very informative and though-provoking has to be Code Complete. One of the main points is that the ultimate goal for software development is to manage complexity.
It goes very well with Wil Shipley’s blog post about being a code samurai, an article that is a favorite of mine. Ultimately, they say the same thing: develop deliberately, with the goal to keep the software simple.
I’ve mentioned keeping it simple in mobile web development, but it applies to all development, in fact. Development shouldn’t just be done with the goal to get things done quickly, it should be done with the goal to get things done right. What’s right? Something that gets the job done efficiently now, but also can be revisited and updated later, which is ultimately the most important goal because very rarely, especially in these days of web development, is software ever “done.” How does getting it done right happen?
It happens when a developer keeps it simple. Both for the current development and for the potential future developments. Ultimately, the best coding comes when the software is simple and readable. This gets the job done well and let’s a developer continue to get the job done well and quickly later. Simple is maintainable, and maintainable is good. More than good, the best.
Minimize complexity, keep it simple.
June 6, 2010
-
Archives by Topic
-
Archives by Month
