Cockatoo Software

Rescuing Rails Apps

2012-02-09T09:15:00Z

Rails is a wonderful framework for developing web applications quickly. However, that does not guarantee a robust, easy to maintain application forever. Codebases decay over time without due care, affecting their reliability and making them more costly to adapt to new requirements. This article covers some of the things that can go wrong and what can be done to rescue a Rails application that has fallen into a state of disrepair.

Thanks for 2011

2012-12-24T11:00:00Z

To everyone, whether they have been customers, collaborators or supporters of our company throughout 2011, thank you and all the best for the new year.

The Advantage of Agile

2011-07-05T11:27:00Z

Software design and development is still a comparatively young discipline. As such, effective practices are still evolving. You may or may not have heard of the Agile approach to developing software. This article explains the advantages of an Agile approach for delivering custom built software.

Welcome to 2011

2011-02-27T12:00:00Z

The new year is in full swing and Cockatoo Software is as busy as ever. Read on for a quick update about what to expect from us this year.

October 2010 Update

2010-10-13T13:45:00Z

The last few months seem to have flown. It's time to provide an update about what Cockatoo Software has been working on.

Creating Order out of Chaos

2010-08-29T14:00:00Z

Have you had that feeling that your projects are out of control? It may even be one project that has gone of the rails. How do you regain control? The good news is that there are tools such as Basecamp, Unfuddle and Pivotal Tracker that can help, provided you employ them sensibly.

Standup Meetings

2010-07-24T00:30:00Z

Most developers can recall the frustration of being stuck in a project meeting that seems to last way too long, lose focus and not achieve much. Once the size of the team gets beyond about three the likelihood is that people will feel that their time is being wasted because the discussion doesn't seem relevant. However, there is a better way.

Test Coverage

2010-06-27T13:30:00Z

If you are an enthusiastic proponent of test-driven development you may assume that you don't need to worry about how well your automated tests cover your codebase. After all, you always write tests before you write your code, don't you? And your tests comprehensively cover every logic path in your code, don't they? If that is the case, you may be surprised when a test coverage tool shows some gaps.

Test Driven Development

2010-06-03T03:00:00Z

When one considers the process for developing software, it may seem natural to envisage writing the software and then testing it. Indeed, traditionally, that was a typical approach. However, in more recent times, the practice of Test Driven Development has been maturing. Read on to discover why this approach actually makes sense.

Ruby, Sinatra, Haml and Textile

2010-05-19T22:44:00Z

Ruby and Sinatra. If these two words prompt you to think of a precious stone and a famous singer, then this article is aimed at giving you an insight into the technology used to build this site. Even if you are familiar with Ruby the programming language and Sinatra the web framework, you may be interested to know how and why I used them together with other tools such as Haml and Textile.

Switching to Mac OS X

2010-05-12T06:00:00Z

Are you a new Mac user? Or perhaps you use Windows but are tempted to make the switch. If so, this brief article will interest you.

Reading Eggs Maps

2010-05-09T22:11:00Z

Whilst books will always have a place in learning, the interactive nature of the web has provided new opportunities for young children to learn at their own pace whilst having fun. Gain an insight into how Cockatoo Software has been helping Blake Education extend their Reading Eggs platform.