IEEE Software's "Tools of the Trade" with Diomidis Spinellis

Software Tools Research: SPLASH Panel Discussion

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 11:07:35 -0800

On 25 October 2012, at ACM's SPLASH conference, six practitioners and academics came together for a panel discussion about "Software Tools Research A Matter of Scale and Scope--or Commoditization?" This episode is a postconference report on the discussions based a transcript of the session.

The Importance of Being Declarative

Fri, 7 Dec 2012 17:16:55 -0800

A declarative programming style focuses on what you want your program to do rather than how to perform the task. By avoiding implementation details, well-written declarative code is easier to understand, modify, and maintain. The code you write in a declarative style is often so readable that you can share it with your project's domain experts. Furthermore, once you start working with declarative code, you can automatically process it to verify properties of its operation, generate test cases, or create parts of the system’s documentation. Small choices, such as the naming of your methods and variables, matter. If you’re coding an algorithm, have your code match the algorithm’s published description. Other approaches to consider include table-driven programming, the implementation of a domain-specific language, or the use of task-specific libraries. When you have the choice, pick the highest level language you can afford and that’s suitable for the task at hand.

APIs, Libraries, and Code

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 13:40:02 -0700

The choice between using the functionality of the application’s platform (Java EE or .NET), calling one of several available external libraries, or writing code on your own involves numerous factors. When you write your own code, you control its quality. If some alternatives come in the form of external libraries, start by looking at the licensing terms. Next, judge the usability of the library or the platform API and the library’s compatibility with your system. Elements with diverse naming conventions are an open invitation for disorder and style abuses. Other compatibility areas you should investigate include error handling, memory management, multithreading, and build management. Finish your examination by looking into the library’s dependencies, quality, and support.

I Spy

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 13:37:48 -0700

The DTrace dynamic-tracing framework provides uniform mechanisms for spying comprehensively and unobtrusively on the operating system, application servers, runtime environments, libraries, and application programs.

Cracking Software Reuse

Tue, 9 Oct 2012 11:12:18 -0700

The Unix system and its pipelines are a model of software reuse, while software repositories, package-management systems, shared-library technologies, and language platforms have also increased reuse's return on investment.

Open Source and Professional Advancement

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 17:27:27 -0700

Open source software development efforts offer professionals a new and valuable way to obtain significant experience in a wide range of areas as an alternative to existing certification schemes.

Choosing a Programming Language

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 14:46:54 -0700

When choosing a programming language, developers have to weigh multiple factors. Balancing efficiency, productivity, hardware interface, and external issues can enable programmers to make the right choice.

Debuggers and Logging Frameworks

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 15:16:37 -0700

Debuggers are cheap and effective tools. Typically we use them in a bottom-up fashion starting from the problem going to its source, but when this strategy fails, we might have to resort to a more tedious top-down breadth-first search.

Bug Busters

Mon, 14 May 2012 16:04:39 -0700

Stringent quality control helps eliminate bugs. Tools can help prevent them from ending up in production code. We can use type-safe languages, heed compiler warnings, adopt specialized bug-finding tools, and adjust our code to locate bugs during testing.

Project Asset Portability

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:20:57 -0700

Source code makes up only a small part of a system’s assets; we also have specs, design diagrams, build rules, version history, documentation, regression tests, and more. Chances are you dread even the thought of changing the tools you use.

Working with Unix Tools

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 10:30:10 -0700

With modern shell command-line editing facilities, we can build commands bit by bit until they are exactly what we need. Nowadays, many systems offer the original Unix tools, so there's no reason not to add this approach to your arsenal.

Version Control Systems

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:56:01 -0800

Many software projects limp along without using a version control system. If you or your project isn't using a VCS, adopting one might well be the single most important tooling improvement you can undertake.

Tool Writing: A Forgotten Art?

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:02:42 -0800

When trying to create a tool for collecting metrics, the author discovered something important: writing stand-alone tools that you can combine efficiently with others to handle more demanding tasks appears to be becoming a forgotten art.

Java Makes Scripting Languages Irrelevant?

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:37:30 -0700

With the evolution from general-purpose scripting languages to Java and .NET, the niche occupied by scripting languages is rapidly shrinking. Software developers, as avid tool users, can enjoy viewing the battle from on top and reap the benefits.

Dear Editor

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:33:42 -0700

Using an editor to help with programming can save time and effort. This episode discusses some of the ways editors can help as well as pitfalls programmers should avoid.

The Tools at Hand

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 10:06:21 -0700

This podcast explores the interplay between you, the software practitioner, and the tools you apply to your development problems. Each episode will discuss software construction activities and the tools you can employ--the tools of our trade.