TestDriven.Net vs M$: This Java Guy’s perspective

Just when I’m thinking how the momentum for M$ will probably kick into gear (JavaOne is over. The JavaFX buzz has died down) M$ drops this gem on the software development world. You’ve probably seen it by now and there are a ton of opinions on the net about it. Here’s mine…

A journey ‘Back to Smalltalk’

I read a blog post about a developers journey from Smalltalk to PHP to Ruby and back with probably a bunch of other stuff mixed in between. In this post, the author puts into words many of the things I have wondered about for the last several months. I am by no means a Ruby or Ruby-on-Rails expert, but I have messed with it enough. I do like it. Its nice and clean, simple to use, and easy to get up and running quickly.

I remember my transition from Smalltalk to Java. When I had somewhat mastered Smalltalk Java started to become the big thing. For some reason I felt the need to move to Java.

Another trackback test

This is another trackback test for http://mikewitters.com/?p=22 .  In this one I’m explicitly adding the trackback in the trackback section.

Testing trackback

This is me testing trackback at http://mikewitters.com/?p=22 .  We’ll see if it works.

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!

JavaFX – My first impressions

Sun introduced JavaFX today at JavaOne in San Francisco. Basically (from the web perspective), JavaFX is Sun’s attempt at a Rich Internet Application (RIA) framework. Like MS Silverlight, Adobe Flex, and the many AJAX frameworks, JavaFX promises to make creating beautiful and user friendly web applications easier. I spent a couple of hours this evening messing with the OpenJFX tutorial and looking through the reference. Here are my first impressions.

A foolproof way to end bank account phishing? Close, but not quite.

Slashdot linked to an interesting story today about a possible foolproof way to end bank account phishing. I think its a step in the right direction, but I don’t think it would be a sure fire way to prevent them.

‘Architects’ in agile development

I read a good blog post that basically tries to re-define the common ‘Architect’ role for agile development methodologies. I do agree with his premise, but have a few extra qualifiers I would throw into his statements.

My first attempt at a ‘Web 2.0′ look

If you’re one of the 142 people who have visited my site since its inception last month then you’ve probably noticed that I have changed the theme often. I was trying to find what would fit the times and what I liked at the same time. I spent at least 4 hours on each one that I tried – making a logo, customizing the colors, fonts, etc. This is my latest attempt, and for now I’m happy with it. I went with the web 2.0 look which from what I understand is bright colors, big fonts, big graphics (just my RSS buttons), but nothing too flashy.

Saving planet Earth – Personally and Professionally

A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I rented ‘An inconvenient truth’. This is the documentary by Al Gore about global warming. In it, Mr. Gore presents pretty compelling arguments that we are headed towards great peril unless we immediately take steps to avoid it. I have long thought we were not doing right ‘by the earth’, but didnt think the effects would be evident as soon as he expressed. Fifty percent of the info I read are rebuttals to his claims and the other fifty are in support of it. After my own investigation (Google-o-rama) it seems that there is no doubting the ‘rapid trending’ in the negative direction over the last 30 years, to the degree to which it hasn’t been historically detectable over the past several hundreds of thousands of years. This affects me personally and professionally, doesn’t it?