Steve Rowe's Blog
Ruminations on Computing - Data Science, Programming, Test Development, Management and More
History of the Amiga
Ars Technica is running a series on the history of the Amiga. This is the machine I grew up with. It...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 08/13/2007
Scrum Meetings for Test
A year and a half ago I talked about how I was running scrum meetings with my team. Since then,...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 08/13/2007
Another DRM Domino Falls
First it was EMI announcing that they would sell non-DRM'd music on iTunes. Later they announced...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 08/10/2007
Windows Live SkyDrive Is In Open Beta
Windows Live SkyDrive is now open to the public in beta form. From what I can tell, it is basically...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 08/09/2007
Vista Performance Update
We just released two update packages which improve the performance and compatibility of Vista. As...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 08/08/2007
New Blade Runner Coming!
25 years after Ridley Scott's masterpiece was first released, another version is nearly upon us....
Author: SteveRowe Date: 08/02/2007
Dilbert On Software Testing
Two recent Dilbert comic strips are a picture of how things sometimes work in our business. In the...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 08/01/2007
More Resources For Teaching Children To Program
As I've stated before, I have a young son who I have been trying on and off to teach to program. I...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 07/31/2007
How To Automate UI Testing
Most software has a user interface. That means that most test teams spend time testing that...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 07/27/2007
Clarity: The Most Important Management Deliverable?
During my week-long management training class, I observed something worth sharing. One of the most...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 07/25/2007
Too Many Questions
Or: Guidelines for dealing with a newbie. If you are an experienced programmer or a manager, the...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 07/23/2007
Keep Your BVTs Clean
At Microsoft we build each of our products on a daily basis. After each successful build, we run a...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 07/20/2007
Hofstadter's Law
Good advice for all project managers. Hofstadter's Law: It always takes longer than you expect, even...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 07/19/2007
Don't Build for the Future
Toward the end of Dreaming in Code, there is this quote from Mitch Kapor: We've constantly...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 07/18/2007
Using a Sunrocket Gizmo with ViaTalk
If you happen to have found this page as a former Sunrocket customer, here is a way you can get a...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 07/18/2007
Dreaming In Code
I finally finished Dreaming in Code by Scott Rosenberg. It was initially hailed as the Soul of a New...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 07/17/2007
What To Test When You Can't Test It All
A naive approach to testing is to just cover everything. I once saw a testing expert claim something...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 07/16/2007
Are Design Patterns A Bad Idea?
Jeff Atwood has some issues with the idea of Design Patterns. His issues are basically: People use...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 07/11/2007
Don't Change Code Unless It's Broken
This came up recently on my team. When making changes to pre-existing code, it is tempting to bring...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 07/09/2007
Cruising To Alaska
I'm headed off on a cruise to Alaska for about a week. Don't expect to see much blogging going on...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 07/06/2007
We Owe It All To Smalltalk
The more I learn about Smalltalk, the more I realize what a foundational language it was. I'm not...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 07/06/2007
Yak Shaving
(Last post inspired by Dreaming in code...I think) There is a problem in building software. We don't...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 07/05/2007
Failure by Committee
I'm reading Dreaming in Code and it's occurring to me at least one of the reasons that Chandler...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 07/03/2007
1337 H4x0rz Use Media Center Keyboards
I saw Live Free or Die Hard yesterday. It's a story that involves, among other things, computer...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 07/02/2007
Avoid 3-Card Combinations
I used to play collectible card games. I attended Whitman College during Richard Garfield's tenure...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 07/01/2007
Why Computers Can't Play Go
About a decode ago a computer finally beat the best chess mind on the planet. Computers can play...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 07/01/2007
When Should You Refactor?
Refactoring is the process of changing the structure of code without changing its behavior. It...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 06/30/2007
Avoiding Overdesign
I'm reading Dreaming In Code and I came across this really cool quote from Linus Torvalds: Nobody...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 06/28/2007
Trade Accuracy for Understanding
I found myself giving this advice to two people today. It came in the context off preparing a...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 06/28/2007
Some Thoughts on Smalltalk
As part of my OO class, I'm learning Smalltalk. More specifically, I'm learning Squeak which is an...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 06/14/2007
Week-Long Management Class
Microsoft invests in its managers. This week it has sent me to a week-long residential management...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 06/14/2007
Coding for Humans
For this class I'm in I have to read Smalltalk Best Practice Patterns by Kent Beck. He has an...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 06/12/2007
Orson Scott Card Talks Firefly
One of my favorite authors is talking about one of my favorite shows. Orson Scott Card was...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 05/30/2007
List of ReadyBoost Compatible Devices
I've been interested in ReadyBoost for a while now but it's hard to find out which devices will work...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 05/24/2007
The AMP Summit
Today I attended the Alliance Music Partnership's AMP Summit. This was the 2nd annual gathering of...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 05/24/2007
Right, Wrong, and Software Design
This is some advice I gave my team regarding code reviews recently. There are certainly many ways of...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 05/23/2007
Summer School
I decided to take a class this summer. It looks to be an interesting one. It is object oriented...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 05/23/2007
What's Wrong With HDMI
Interesting article over at Audioholics covering the subject of HDMI and what's wrong with it. They...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 05/19/2007
Three Types of CS Programs
In my mind there are three different types of programs you might find when looking for CS or...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 05/14/2007
Done With Class!
This morning at 8:00 I took the final for my Computer Security class. It feels good to have that...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 05/08/2007
Video Acceleration By The Numbers
Here's an interesting article from AnandTech talking about the new GeForce 8600's video acceleration...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 05/04/2007
Do CS Schools Encourage Sloppy Coding?
I'm currently pursuing a Masters degree in Computer Science. I'm a little over halfway through the...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 04/30/2007
How We'll Avoid the Animated Cursor Bug Next Time
Michael Howard provides a very insightful look at how the animated cursor bug bypassed the numerous...
Author: SteveRowe Date: 04/28/2007