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1. | Using 'Get' and 'Set' Might Be Something You'll Regret
It's an all-too-common pitfall. Programmers who attempt to write object-oriented code decide to make all of their data variables private, while creating public get() and set() function pairs for each one. "See?" they declare, as they pat themselves ...
[Added: 01 Aug 2006 Hits: 81 Words: 799]
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2. | People Who Think They're Right
A few months ago, I had a conversation with a churchgoer who complained about religious intolerance. He said (and I paraphrase), "When it comes to religious beliefs, I really don't like people who think they're the ones that ...
[Added: 25 Jul 2006 Hits: 113 Words: 444]
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3. | A Common Misconception about Object-Oriented Programming
I've seen it time and again. A computer programmer proudly proclaims, "Yeah, my code is object-oriented. See? My data members are all private, and they can only be reached through public member functions. That's what being object-oriented is all about." ...
[Added: 24 Jul 2006 Hits: 73 Words: 531]
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4. | The Top Seven Tarantula Species for Beginners
Tarantulas can make wonderful pets. They are exotic, fascinating creatures that require much less attention than a dog or a cat, or even a tank of fish. Many species are hardy enough to require minimal care, and they always make great topics ...
[Added: 18 Jul 2006 Hits: 313 Words: 592]
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5. | Listening Techniques For More Effective Meetings, Part II
In Part I of this article, we discussed the importance of active listening, and how it is important for smooth and effective meetings. In the process, we touched on the topic of reflective listening. Reflective listening is a valuable means of ensuring that we have properly understood the speaker’s thoughts ...
[Added: 21 Jul 2005 Hits: 123 Words: 533]
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6. | Listening Techniques For More Effective Meetings, Part I
We all know what it’s like when a meeting doesn’t go smoothly. Discussions get derailed, tempers start to fray, and things are seldom resolved to everyone’s satisfaction. In such situation, the problem is often the result of poor communication—and poor communication is ...
[Added: 21 Jul 2005 Hits: 144 Words: 472]
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7. | Don't Forget the Internal Software Documentation
Internal documentation. It's one of the most frequent casualties in software development.
It's not hard to see why. For most companies, time is money, and they frequently find themselves scrambling to release a product. It can therefore be ...
[Added: 12 Jan 2005 Hits: 70 Words: 449]
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8. | A Time-Saving Programming Tactic That Doesn't Work
Let's say that you have a software project that's under severe time pressure. Let's say that this deadline is so tight that you already know it will involve many late nights of black coffee and frenetic ...
[Added: 18 Nov 2004 Hits: 59 Words: 509]
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9. | When is a Software Engineer Not a Software Engineer?
The title of “software engineer” has got to be among the most highly abused in the corporate high-tech world. It's also one of the most popular.
And why not? It sounds a lot better than “computer ...
[Added: 13 Nov 2004 Hits: 68 Words: 574]
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10. | Five Snake Care Tips for Beginners
If you're looking for an unusual, eye-catching pet, it's hard to go wrong with a snake. They're exotic enough to catch people's interest, yet hardy enough to require minimal care. Nevertheless, uninformed first-time owners tend to make some basic mistakes, some of ...
[Added: 11 Nov 2004 Hits: 61 Words: 399]
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11. | Need a Low-Maintenance Pet? Try a Tarantula!
If you're like me, then you don't really have the luxury of keeping a high-maintenance pet such as a dog. Even a less demanding pet such as a cat might be beyond your time constraints. Fish tanks can be difficult too, since it's easy to under-estimate the time and ...
[Added: 09 Nov 2004 Hits: 81 Words: 551]
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12. | Don't Forget That Manual!
No user manual? Surely you jest!
It may seem comical, but it's a surprisingly common situation. I've encountered many companies that don't provide any user manuals with their products. If they do, their manuals are often horribly incoherent, or else years out of date. It shouldn't happen, but ...
[Added: 09 Nov 2004 Hits: 54 Words: 648]
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13. | The Value of Adding Images to Technical Documentation
It's cliché, but true—a picture does paint a thousand words. This is an important message to remember when writing any sort of user documentation, such as an installation guide or an instruction manual. A document that makes judicious use of images and diagrams will be much ...
[Added: 09 Nov 2004 Hits: 57 Words: 544]
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14. | Ten Quick Tips for Inexperienced Writers
One of the biggest problems that inexperienced writers have is simply knowing how to get started. If you've unsure of your writing skills, then here are some quick tips to help you get started.
1. Get yourself a ...
[Added: 08 Nov 2004 Hits: 62 Words: 373]
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15. | Why More Women Should Consider a Career in Computer Programming
Everyone knows that computer programming is a heavily male-dominated field. I think this is unfortunate. Over the years, I've come to conclude that there is a great deal that women can contribute to this field.
Why is computer programming regarded as a primarily masculine discipline? I think that ...
[Added: 08 Nov 2004 Hits: 106 Words: 543]
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16. | A Quick and Simple Tip for Gaining Customers
In the course of my career, I've had to deal with a lot of vendors—software companies, sensor manufacturers, electronics distributors and more. Some of them have left lasting impressions on me, whereas others have been eminently forgettable. I'd like to talk about ...
[Added: 06 Nov 2004 Hits: 52 Words: 413]
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17. | On the Importance of Good User Interface Design
It seems obvious, but it's often ignored. A good user interface design can spell the difference between acceptance of a software product and its failure in the marketplace. If the end-users find the software to be too cumbersome or difficult to understand, then an otherwise excellent product could be doomed ...
[Added: 04 Nov 2004 Hits: 95 Words: 431]
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18. | Software Companies, Don't Sabotage Your Long-Term Success!
Over the years, I've paid a lot of attention to how companies recruit computer programmers. During that time, I've noticed how managers frequently make hiring decisions that seem to make sense in the short term, but which result in long-term chaos. I've seen the ...
[Added: 01 Nov 2004 Hits: 39 Words: 630]
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