The Myth of the Interchangeable Programmer

The software development industry has a problem. According to this article in Datamation, the problem stems from two software management formulas (SMFs) that drive much of the industry:

• Software Produced = Number of Workers x Hours Worked


• Cost of Software = Number of Workers x Hours Worked x Hourly Cost Per Worker

At first glance, these equations might make sense. But, look again and you’ll see the problem: They use the assumption that all developers are interchangeable. Based on that assumption, logic dictates that quantity is better than quality, and low priced developers are always the best option.

Sound familiar? This is why companies use offshore developers.

In reality, all developers are not equal. The formulas fail to account for things like individual skill, work ethic, incorrect cultural assumptions, distractions, etc… Rather than answering project deadline problems with more developers, try to find ways to make your current developers more productive.

It’s not as hard as you might think. This company made their developers more productive and was able to meet a near impossible deadline despite being short a developer. Find out how they did it>>

How to avoid 14 common IT mistakes

Here’s an unsettling statistic: According to this CIO.com article, only 29% of IT projects are completed successfully. One contributing factor is that IT departments are repeating the same mistakes over and over.

Most of the problems boil down to poor planning or lack of communication, but all are correctable. Find out what the problems are and how to fix them>>

Application Tip: Functions and UDF's

Most m-Power developers don't know that they can use data-base functions and even their own User Defined Functions (UDFs) in their m-Power servlets.

In this forum post, I will show you how to develop your own UDFs, how to call them in your servlets, and some of the powerful things you can do with them.

Think of it as External Objects on Steroids!

Application Development 2.0

By now, you know what Web 2.0 means, and have no doubt been saturated with the term. Well, here’s a term you may not have heard of: Application Development 2.0.

As you might have guessed, application development 2.0 involves applying web 2.0 concepts to application development. According to this article in Infoworld.com, there are 5 ways to do that:

1. Involve users in quality assurance


2. Keep it simple


3. Build quickly


4. Release early and often


5. Let users decide new features

In short, application development 2.0 is all about the users. The developer must receive input from users and then work quickly to give the users what they want. As a result, many are abandoning the more powerful (but more difficult) languages such as Java, and using dynamic scripting languages for the sake of speed.

However, some people like to get the best of both worlds. This developer found a way to use Java to create feature-rich applications faster than dynamic scripting languages. Find out how he did it>>

6 Recession-Proof IT Jobs

It seems like at least once a week, some big company makes the news for “massive layoffs”. It kind of makes you wonder: Who’s next? Obviously, certain industries are hit harder than others, but it’s enough to make anyone at least a little nervous.

Here’s a bit of good news. A study was recently completed which lists the 20 most recession-proof professions. How does IT rank in this list? Out of the 20 jobs listed, 6 of them were in IT.

Is your job one of them? Find out here>>

Upload at Will

We are excited to introduce a new m-Power enhancement: uploading. As the name implies, it gives m-Power users the power to create applications that upload files.

How might this benefit you? Here are just a few ways:

• Do you need to receive files from customers or partners? Think of things like damage claims processing, maintenance & warranty tracking, YouTube or iTunes type functionality.


• It eliminates the need to use inferior file transfer options, such as email.


• It's integration is seamless - automatically connecting the uploaded object or file to the data-base record that tracks it.

If you are currently an m-Power customer, this documentation will explain how to set up and use the upload function.

If you are not an m-Power customer, learn more about it here>>

Most Employees are Frustrated With IT

There are always two sides to a story, and I’m sure this article is no exception. A new Gartner report is out, with findings that aren’t exactly shocking: Employees are frustrated with IT.

I’ve heard it before, and it usually goes like this. Someone brings a project to IT with a pre-conceived idea of how long it should take without understanding either the complexity of the project or how many other projects IT is currently working on. When it takes longer than expected, they become frustrated. Meanwhile, IT is frustrated with the unrealistic expectations.

What's the answer? Unfortunately, it's unlikely that the expectations will change, but does that mean IT has to find the solution?

Not necessarily. This company found a solution, and met a near impossible deadline as a result. Find out how they did it.

5 Ways to Put Your Value in the Spotlight at Work

Do you ever feel like you work hard without receiving recognition? Do you add a lot of value, but nobody seems to notice?

Maybe you need to do a better job of demonstrating your value.

This article in CIO.com entitled, “5 Ways to Put Your Value in the Spotlight” will help you do just that. It outlines methods you can use to generate a “buzz”, and help you get noticed.

CSS Tutorial # 3: Class and ID Selectors

Last week, we explained CSS syntax, and how easy it is to use. This week we move into two of the most important concepts in CSS: Class and ID Selectors. Anyone who wants to use CSS must learn why Class and ID selectors are important, how to use them, and the difference between the two.

This tutorial will give a detailed explanation, as well as a sample webpage to illustrate these concepts. If you're interested in learning all about Class and ID selectors, click here>>

10 Emerging Technologies That Could Change Our Lives

Try to think back 10 years ago. How has life changed since then as a result of technology? Thinking back, I’m amazed at the drastic changes that have occurred in 10 short years.

For instance, digital cell phones were just coming out, and all you could do with one was…make and receive phone calls! It was rare for a battery to last all day, and phones were getting so “small” that people could carry them on their hips without being too much of an interference.

Now try to think forward a few years. How do you think technology will change our lives? The Technology Review has published a list of 10 emerging technologies for 2008, which are most likely to change the way we live. What do you think? Can you add anything to the list?

Is Outsourcing a Security Risk?

When you hear the word, “Outsourcing”, what comes to your mind? Big savings? Big pain? Smart business? Necessary evil? According to a recent security study detailed on ITWire.com, the two words that should come to your mind are, “Security risk”.

Most of the participants in the security study agreed that outsourcing increases the likelihood of hacking. However, while they feel that internally written code is far safer, many companies still outsource their application development, undoubtedly for cost reasons.

Quite a dilemma? Do you choose the cheap but vulnerable option, or the secure but expensive one?

What if you could choose the cheap and secure option? We think you can. Here’s how.

Develop your applications internally with m-Power. m-Power generates java code through a simple point-and-click interface, increasing development productivity tenfold. It’s cheaper than outsourcing and builds industry standard security into everything it generates. You will save time and money, without worrying about security.

To learn more about m-Power click here. To experience m-Power for yourself, try out our free online lab!

CSS Tutorial #2: CSS Syntax

Following up last week’s forum post entitled, “CSS Tutorial: Style Sheet Types”, we are now moving into CSS syntax. If you are new to CSS, you will find it very easy to understand and write.

In this next forum post entitled, “CSS Tutorial #2: CSS Syntax”, you will learn the basics of style sheet syntax and how to write a simple style sheet.

100 Best Places to Work in IT

As an IT professional, what do you look for in a company?

ComputerWorld recently published a list entitled, “100 Best Places to Work in IT 2008”. According to their findings, IT workers want:

• good pay,
• challenging work, and
• ample opportunities.

Companies who made the list do a good job of combining those important things with other unique perks.

Did your company make the list? Find out here.>>

Spend to save?

How would you like to buy some savings? Purchase a cost reduction? Spend to save?

Sound ridiculous? Well, according to this article in CIO.com, spending money is often the best way to earn it. In a slow economy, it's especially important to spend wisely in order to position your company for long-term cost reduction. According to the article, companies should spend money on things that will make them more agile or provide immediate business benefits.

Does m-Power fit that description? Our customers tell us that m-Power typically pays for itself after just one project. But don't take it from us, here's a happy customer who reported an ROI that was "way beyond what was originally conceived" using m-Power.

Curious to see what m-Power will do for your company? As a proof-of-concept, we will build you a custom web application over your own files, absolutely free and without further obligation. Just fill out this short form to get started!

CSS Tutorial: Style Sheet Types

Over the past few weeks, we’ve added some high level CSS tutorials to our forum. Our forum is used by people with a wide variety of skill levels in a wide variety of areas. That being said, I’ve recently received a few requests for some more basic CSS tutorials.

Over the next few weeks, we intend to take a step back and examine the basic principles of CSS. Please check out our forum for the first of these tutorials entitled, “CSS Tutorial: Style Sheet Types”.

5 Things You Should Never Tell Your Boss

Do you find yourself often telling your boss things like, “That’s impossible” or “There’s only one way”? Do you regularly surprise him/her with bad news? Well, your boss doesn’t want to hear it, according to this recent Computerworld article entitled, “5 Things You Should Never Tell Your Boss”.

While I liked the article, and thought it had some good advice, I think it just takes a little common sense to figure out what your boss doesn’t want to hear. Just try to put yourself in your manager’s shoes, and ask, “Would I want to hear this if I was in his/her position”?

For those of you who found the first article interesting, you would probably enjoy the follow-up article entitled, “5 Things You Should Always Tell Your Boss”.

Positioning with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)

Before Cascading Style Sheets, a web developers tool for layout was the table. With CSS comes more layout options, which provide for easier positioning, neater code, and more versatility. However, positioning is one of the most misunderstood parts of CSS.

The two extra layout tools made possible with CSS are called "positioning" and "floats". However, before you learn about these tools, you must first understand the box model. But before you can learn any of these concepts, you should understand why they're important. We have written up a few handy tutorials explaining these concepts, which can be found in our forum.

To learn why CSS is better than tables for layout, click here.>>

To learn more about the box model, click here.>>

To learn more about CSS positioning, click here.>>

The BI Market Is Shrinking?

According to Gartner Research quoted in this TMCnet.com article, the Business Intelligence (BI) market grew 13% internationally in 2007. In the US, however, it grew only 5%. Considering the growing importance being placed on BI, that’s a little surprising. Analysts say the weakened US economy is the main factor, which will continue to have a negative impact on BI in the US.

Gartner's research leads me to the conclusion that many companies don’t see business intelligence as being worth the cost. If a company truly thought that the benefits of a BI tool would pay for itself and more, they would buy it. However, when you have to drop 6 figures on a BI solution, that’s a hard concept to grasp.

Good business intelligence doesn’t have to be expensive. It doesn't take much research to find that there are affordable options that have all the power at a fraction of the price. A weak economy doesn’t have to be a reason to avoid BI.

If you’re curious to see what an affordable BI solution can do, check out our Crazybikes demo site, which was built using m-Power. If you would like to see what m-Power can do for you, we will build a live custom web application over your own files, absolutely free and without obligation. Simply fill out this short form to get started!

How to: Do more cool things with AJAX and your web 2.0 servlets

This post will show you how to:

1. Make asynchronous servlet calls in your web 2.0 servlets,

2. Fill input fields with information obtained through an asynchronous call,

3. Fill an area of the screen with information from an asynchronous call.

That sure sounds onerous. What this post really does, for those of you who will stick through a little tech talk, is show you how to make your web 2.0 servlets behave as if the information is coming from a locally attached PC.

15 Turning Points in Tech History

In your opinion, what are a few of the greatest turning points in tech history? Just for fun, try to come up with a few, and then read this InfoWorld article entitled, “15 turning points in tech history” to see if any of yours are mentioned. I personally found the article to be fascinating, though I would have made a few changes.

For example, the lithium-ion battery was a seemingly small breakthrough with huge implications. It helped make the cell phone revolution possible over the last decade, which in turn affected countless aspects of our lives, from the way we communicate to the way we do business. Do you really think that the cell phone would have had such a huge impact if they had large clunky batteries that couldn’t hold a charge all day?

I’m curious to hear your thoughts. What would you have added or removed from this list? Feel free to comment to this post with your ideas.