Software Development
Development Stories
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The Truth behind Software Development EstimatesThe problem with estimation is that software is not construction. We can’t create software the same way we build a house or manufacture anything else. We can't say, “We can build this software for x dollars per square foot.” But other people often think of our estimates that way. What can you do? | 
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Quitters Sometimes Do Win: How to Recognize and Confront Sunk CostsFrom Freakonomics coauthor Stephen Dubner: "A ‘sunk cost’ is just what it sounds like: time or money you've already spent. The sunk-cost fallacy is when you tell yourself that you can't quit because of all that time or money you spent. We shouldn't fall for this fallacy, but we do it all the time." | 
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Some Companies Using Software to Monitor Their EmployeesNew reports coming out detail just how far companies have gone in using software that monitors their employees' behaviors—all in the name of productivity and safety. These new tools lead us to question which is more important—workplace efficiency or employee satisfaction? | 
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How to Attract Passionate Developers to Your Startup How can startups continue to attract the best and brightest talent—developers, in particular? Although corporations aren’t the “bad guy” they once were, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon, and other big players still offer many perks that the average, strapped-for-cash startup simply can't provide. |
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Are Your Kids Coding Yet? Sign Them Up for the Hour of CodeCode.org is launching a program called the "Hour of Code"—a nationwide effort to introduce computer science to ten million students, coinciding with Computer Science Education Week in December 2013. Microsoft, Google, Apple, Amazon, and more than one hundred other partners are participating. | 
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Focus on Users' Needs Rather Than on Your Software ProductBonnie Bailey explains that you need to take care of your users’ needs first, and then, just maybe, they will explore the fabulous features of your software. When we focus on our product rather than on what the user is trying to get done, we suffer from marketing myopia. | 
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Stop Blaming Changing Requirements for Your Project's FailureBlaming changing requirements for a project's downfall is about as misguided as it gets. When you start accepting that change is in coming and you start preparing for it by using iterative development, you'll see that dreading or fighting change is the only way to ensure failure. |
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Developers Get a Civics Lesson with Open Source Government ProjectsIf you’re a civic-minded programmer who would like your government to be more open and more efficient, you now have the option to help make it happen. A recently launched portal called GitHub and Government lets users collaborate on projects to solve problems and make information more available. |
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