Phurnace Blog for Alexander Bibighaus

Lessons Learned with Managing Outsourced Development Projects

Alexander Bibighaus — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:00:00 +0100

All companies have different needs and reasons they pursue outsourcing. While Phurnace had success with our first outsourcing project, it was not without lessons learned. Having just kicked off our second outsourcing project, I'd like to share some of these lessons for those of you who might be considering an outsourced software development project.

Recognize the inevitable challenges
If you are going “offshore”, the language barrier is always a challenge. [...]

Embedded Ant

Alexander Bibighaus — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Ant, the de-facto standard build tool for Java, could be defined as a platform independent scripting tool similar to Make but with an XML syntax. Ant is mature, extensible, and relatively easy to use. These qualities paved the path for Ant to be applied to other problems besides "building software". For instance, Ant is commonly used as a scripting tool to move files around, and moreover as a test tool to launch tests and generate reports. Most Java developers already know everythin [...]

Under the label of Agile Development

Alexander Bibighaus — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Recently, I was entertained by hearing complaints from a friend regarding their Agile practice and how impractical and inefficient it seemed. This conversation led me to think about our own agile practices at Phurnace and other companies for which I’ve worked. It is my experience, since the Agile boom, companies tend to adopt a hybrid approach that is typically a collection of agile practices mashed up with traditional practices from which people feel comfortable. I reviewed some of the [...]

Java Tools: Eclipse vs NetBeans

Alexander Bibighaus — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Switching IDE's has always been something I feel is important to keep an open mind about. I learned this early on when I was an emacs fanatic. I started software development in a Unix/C environment where emacs and vi were the two editors of choice (or debate). Despite all of the vi/emacs wars , my experience was that both came in handy, but at different times.

I recently feel this way about Netbeans vs Eclipse in the Java IDE world. Both IDE's contribute different tools to a [...]

Some benefits of a Solar-Powered iPhone

Alexander Bibighaus — Wed, 28 May 2008 01:00:00 +0100

I recently read on ecogeek.org, that Apple filed for a patent for “solar cells on portable devices”. I'm a bit skeptical, but solar re-chargeability might be a nice feature for the iPod or iPhone. I still do not see sitting on the grassy bank of Barton Springs Pool with my solar powered Macbook Pro; I might e [...]

Ruby on Rails to Nowhere

Alexander Bibighaus — Fri, 09 May 2008 01:00:00 +0100

A long time ago, I was on a NOLS adventure in the middle of the Olympic mountains. My group was resting one day high above the tree-line in a snow covered area when we found a small, but steep bank of snow ... perfect for headfirst nosedives. It all seemed harmless at the time, until our guide angrily reminded us that whatever choices we make, the fact remains, we must weigh the risk versus the reward. Shocked at first by his reaction, we all suddenly had the realization that given our surro [...]

Getting Past the iPhone Diatribes...

Alexander Bibighaus — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Apple's iPhone represents a revolutionary mobile platform that has attracted people of all sorts to download the SDK and take a look. Today, it seems I search the internet for "iPhone" related information only to find hundreds of rants. Most rants are either about the lack of Flash and/or Java support for the iPhone. Perhaps this is because [...]