Becoming a data scientist

It is is interesting how a job title carries certain connotations and how it can even be tailored to different situations. Sometimes I have called myself a Consultant, because this is what consultancies expect. Sometimes I have called myself a Developer, because that is what hiring companies expect. Sometimes I have called myself a Software… Continue reading Becoming a data scientist

Why you should not use Microsoft Silverlight for your next web application

The above warning message sums up everything I dislike about proprietary web technologies. Silverlight is a fairly new Microsoft technology from 2007 and Moonlight is its Open Source and not up-to-date equivalent that I have to use because Microsoft does not provide Silverlight for Linux. Since most software only run on Windows anyway why is… Continue reading Why you should not use Microsoft Silverlight for your next web application

Guess-driven development

A few days ago, I received a link to a blog post called some lesser-known truths about programming. Among other things, it states: Bad programmers spend much of that 90% debugging code by randomly making changes and seeing if they work. Patrick, my business partner, jokingly calls this Guess-Driven Development and I now take the… Continue reading Guess-driven development

Passing the torch

In the software industry, I believe there is often a somewhat strenuous relationship between developers and salespersons. Yet, there is often a perceived symbiotic relation between them. The developers develop and the salespersons sell. One couldn’t exist without the other. So far so good. Let’s assume (and hope) for a while that a salesperson is… Continue reading Passing the torch