July 27, 2012 
0 Comments
As Martin Fowler famously said, “Any fool can write code that a computer can understand. Good programmers write code that humans can understand.” The syntax of functional programming just isn’t readable at a glance.
(Full Story: Functional programming: A step backward – JavaWorld)
July 27, 2012 0 Comments
Different kinds of face time lead to different evaluations. The two forms of passive face time lead to two kinds of “trait inferences,” or conclusions about what type of person someone is. Specifically, we found that expected face time led to inferences of the traits “responsible” and “dependable.” Just being seen at work, without any information about what you’re actually doing, leads people to think more highly of you.
You get labeled when you put in extracurricular face time, too. But rather than just being considered dependable, you can get upgraded to “committed” and “dedicated.”
(Full Story: Why Showing Your Face at Work Matters)
July 27, 2012 0 Comments
Good definition of the differences between IaaS, PaaS and Saas.
(Full Story: Engine Yard explains how the PaaS market is evolving (infographic))
July 27, 2012 0 Comments
sqlmap is an open source penetration testing tool that automates the process of detecting and exploiting SQL injection flaws and taking over of database servers. It comes with a powerful detection engine, many niche features for the ultimate penetration tester and a broad range of switches lasting from database fingerprinting, over data fetching from the database, to accessing the underlying file system and executing commands on the operating system via out-of-band connections.
(Full Story: sqlmap: automatic SQL injection and database takeover tool)
July 27, 2012 0 Comments
Working in short, iterative cycles the team can now begin testing ways to prove out this hypothesis. Instead of biting off large sets of features, the team conceives, designs and builds “first drafts” of ideas that are deployed quickly. These “first drafts” are measured with the target metrics and if they show promise (i.e., the numbers are moving in the right direction) they are refined in the next iteration. If they don’t perform, they are reworked or scrapped in favor of the next idea.
These tight learning loops allow the team to bite off significantly smaller chunks of risk while giving reality a chance to take many turns at the plate. The team may learn very quickly that building three new content verticals is overkill and only one is needed. Alternatively, it may learn that three new verticals won’t make a difference at all in their success metrics. At which point they will have to conceive a new hypothesis.
(Full Story: A Better Project Model than the “Waterfall” – HBR)
July 27, 2012 0 Comments
Our data suggest that this type of late engagement by sales in the customer’s purchase decision is frighteningly common: the average customer’s decision is nearly 60% complete by the time they engage a salesperson. And yet, we find that average performers’ pipelines are full of these types of late-stage, reactive — and often fruitless — pursuits. High-performers’ pipelines, on the other hand, tilt much more toward very early-stage, proactive opportunities. These superior reps avoid customers who have a clear understanding of what they want and instead look for customers who are going through change and will be open to new ideas. They look where demand is emerging but not yet established, where they can shape customers’ needs, rather than react to them.
(Full Story: Sales Reps Should Avoid Customers Who Are Ready to Buy – HBR)
July 27, 2012 0 Comments
You can’t fix, manage or justify what you don’t understand. IT chargeback/trackback not only helps end users understand their service utilization, but it also helps IT justify and prioritize spend. Measured service is a requirement of NIST’s cloud definition.
Regardless of the cloud deployment model chosen, IT chargeback/trackback is an integral requirement. Properly understanding and utilizing an IT chargeback/trackback tool set will assist in both deployment and operation of your private cloud. Don’t let implementation of these tools fall to the wayside.
(Full Story: IT Chargeback/Trackback: Yes, You Need It)
July 27, 2012 0 Comments
Fedena is a free & opensource school management software that has more features than a student information system. Use fedena to efficiently manage students, teachers, employees, courses & all the system & process related to your institution.
(Full Story: Project Fedena – Opensource Student Information System, School Management Software)
July 27, 2012 0 Comments
According to them, they’ve found that the “best” dashboards have their screen real estate dedicated to answering the following 5 questions:
What’s Going On? (The Operating Summary)
How Do We Stant? (Scorecard)
What Are Our Winners and Losers? (Top and Bottom Performers)
Where Should We Be Working? (Opportunities and Problems)
Where Are We Heading? (Trends)
(Full Story: The Dashboard Blueprint | Enterprise Dashboard Digest)
July 27, 2012 0 Comments
Fourteen Commandments of Web Scale Cloud Deployment
1. Thou shalt not have Sticky in-memory sessions
2. Thou shalt not directly use a Central SQL database in the user request path
3. Thou shalt not store important data on ephemeral instances
4. Thou shalt embrace a homogenous architecture
5. Thou shalt understand and embrace the CAP theorem
6. Thou shalt guard all external calls using the Dependency Command Pattern
7. Thou shalt be prepared to scale according to thy needs
8. Thou shalt keep a wary eye on they cost
9. Thou shalt secure thy data and access points
10. Thou shalt instrument thy code
11. Thou shalt effectively monitor thy instances
12. Thou shalt deploy thy instances in multiple regions and zones
13. Thou shalt be wary of SPOF
14. Thou shalt always plan for failure
Full slides at http://www.slideshare.net/stonse/netflix-cloud-platform-building-blocks
(Full Story: Architectural Building Blocks of Netflix Cloud Platform)
