Adventures in Software Development

Java — Now and Then

Back in 1995 (or thereabouts, perhaps it was a little earlier), Java hit the scene, and it was the hottest thing in…

But it worked before — stability and assumptions

Never underestimate the role of luck in correct software operation

Embedded Software and the pursuit of perfection

Version and Derision

You’ve seen version numbers in software. 1.0, 2.1, 1.1.0 and sometimes much more complex schemes. Sometimes they get…

The Upgrade Paradox

Computer systems sometimes need to be upgraded in part or in whole. To fix bugs, plug security holes or add features…

That one time without the mutex

Every developer who starts with threading soon learns about the necessity of locking structures. The reason is pretty simple — if your program has two threads of execution, and there’s any chance at all one of them will alter the structure, then you need to lock between…

Effective Bug Reporting

“It doesn’t work”, and other ineffective bug reporting techniques in an age of agile development.