Practical Development Environments

This book doesn't tell you how to write faster code, or how to write code with fewer memory leaks, or even how to debug code at all. What it does tell you is how to build your product in better ways, how to keep track of the code that you write, and how to track the bugs in your code. Plus some more things you'll wish you had known before starting a project. Practical Development Environments is a guide, a collection of advice about real development environments for small to medium-sized projects and groups. Each of the chapters considers a different kind of tool - tools for tracking versions of files, build tools, testing tools, bug-tracking tools, tools for creating documentation, and tools for creating packaged releases. Each chapter discusses what you should look for in that kind of tool and what to avoid, and also describes some good ideas, bad ideas, and annoying experiences for each area. Specific instances of each type of tool are described in enough detail so that you can decide which ones you want to investigate further. Developers want to write code, not maintain makefiles. Writers want to write content instead of manage templates. IT provides machines, but doesn't have time to maintain all the different tools. Managers want the product to move smoothly from development to release, and are interested in tools to help this happen more often. Whether as a full-time position or just because they are helpful, all projects have toolsmiths: making choices about tools, installing them, and then maintaining the tools that everyone else depends upon. This book is especially for everyone who ends up being a toolsmith for his or her group.

Everyone wants a technical environment for developing their software. Containing guidelines for how to create and maintain a development environment, this book discusses some of the tools covering different areas such as version control, build tools, testing tools, bug tracking systems, documentation environments, release tools, and maintenance.

This book provides an overview of tools and techniques used in enterprise software development, many of which are not taught in academic programs or learned on the job. This is an ideal resource containing lots of practical information and code examples that you need to master as a member of an enterprise development team. This book aggregates many of these "on the job" tools and techniques into a concise format and presents them as both discussion topics and with code examples. The reader will not only get an overview of these tools and techniques, but also several discussions concerning operational aspects of enterprise software development and how it differs from smaller development efforts. For example, in the chapter on Design Patterns and Architecture, the author describes the basics of design patterns but only highlights those that are more important in enterprise applications due to separation of duties, enterprise security, etc. The architecture discussion revolves has a similar emphasis – different teams may manage different aspects of the application’s components with little or no access to the developer. This aspect of restricted access is also mentioned in the section on logging. Theory of logging and discussions of what to log are briefly mentioned, the configuration of the logging tools is demonstrated along with a discussion of why it’s very important in an enterprise environment.

1 : Introduction -- 2 : Fundamentals of IDL Syntax -- 3 : Writing IDL Programs -- 4 : Input and Output -- 5 : Direct Graphics -- 6 : Plotting Data -- 7 : Displaying Images -- 8 : Creating Graphical Output -- 9 : Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) -- Appendix A : IDL on the Internet -- Appendix B : Mathematical Routines -- Appendix C : Widget Event Structures -- Appendix D : Widget Properties -- Appendix E : Graphics Device Properties.

Agile Project Delivery reviews how different Agile methods can be applied to project delivery in complex corporate environments beyond the Agile Manifesto’s original scope of software development. Taking readers through a typical project lifecycle, the text demonstrates how Agile techniques can be applied to each phase of a project using valuable tools and examples. Agile Project Delivery covers various approaches that are used across the many methodologies and frameworks that are part of the Agile family, including Scrum, XP, and Crystal, as well as some of Agile’s influences, such as Lean and Kanban. Agile Project Delivery also provides readers with advanced instructions for using Atlassian’s industry-leading Agile software, Jira. Bridging the gap between Agile methodology and application, this concise guide features practical delivery approaches, engaging case studies, useful templates to assist in Agile application, and chapter discussion questions to reinforce understanding on how to harness the benefits of Agile. With a focus on settings outside of software development and an accessible, pragmatic approach, Agile Project Delivery is an invaluable resource for students in any project management course, as well as for both aspiring and experienced project practitioners.

Web development has grown to become vital in shaping how humans interact, work, learn, and consume. Practical Web Development provides you with a roadmap of web development today, giving you the tools you need and the guidance to keep you creative and productive in a world of disruption and innovation. Beginning with the structure of the Web and the principles of building basic websites with HTML, you will learn about CSS, JavaScript, and PHP, before taking a closer look at some of the leading technologies used to build the modern Web. You will integrate jQuery, Ajax, and JSON into your projects before moving on to the latest tools and techniques in responsive web design, including Zurb Foundation or Bootstrap, to help you meet the challenges of developing for multiple devices, and explore how Node.js offers a powerful solution to server-side application development. This book is for anyone that wants to get to grips with the broader picture of web development today.

"Two thumbs up" —Gregory V. Wilson, Dr. Dobbs Journal (October 2004) No one can disparage the ability to write good code. At its highest levels, it is an art. But no one can confuse writing good code with developing good software. The difference—in terms of challenges, skills, and compensation—is immense. Coder to Developer helps you excel at the many non-coding tasks entailed, from start to finish, in just about any successful development project. What's more, it equips you with the mindset and self-assurance required to pull it all together, so that you see every piece of your work as part of a coherent process. Inside, you'll find plenty of technical guidance on such topics as: Choosing and using a source code control system Code generation tools--when and why Preventing bugs with unit testing Tracking, fixing, and learning from bugs Application activity logging Streamlining and systematizing the build process Traditional installations and alternative approaches To pull all of this together, the author has provided the source code for Download Tracker, a tool for organizing your collection of downloaded code, that's used for examples throughout this book. The code is provided in various states of completion, reflecting every stage of development, so that you can dig deep into the actual process of building software. But you'll also develop "softer" skills, in areas such as team management, open source collaboration, user and developer documentation, and intellectual property protection. If you want to become someone who can deliver not just good code but also a good product, this book is the place to start. If you must build successful software projects, it's essential reading.

"Outside-in thinking complements any approach your teams may be taking to the actual implementation of software, but it changes how you measure success. A successful outside-in team does a lot of learning and not much speculation." —Tom Poppendieck Build Software That Delivers Maximum Business Value to Every Key Stakeholder Imagine your ideal development project. It will deliver exactly what your clients need. It will achieve broad, rapid, enthusiastic adoption. And it will be designed and built by a productive, high-morale team of expert software professionals. Using this book's breakthrough "outside-in" approach to software development, your next project can be that ideal project. In Outside-in Software Development, two of IBM's most respected software leaders, Carl Kessler and John Sweitzer, show you how to identify the stakeholders who'll determine your project's real value, shape every decision around their real needs, and deliver software that achieves broad, rapid, enthusiastic adoption. The authors present an end-to-end framework and practical implementation techniques any development team can quickly benefit from, regardless of project type or scope. Using their proven approach, you can improve the effectiveness of every client conversation, define priorities with greater visibility and clarity, and make sure all your code delivers maximum business value. Coverage includes Understanding your stakeholders and the organizational and business context they operate in Clarifying the short- and long-term stakeholder goals your project will satisfy More effectively mapping project expectations to outcomes Building more "consumable" software: systems that are easier to deploy, use, and support Continuously enhancing alignment with stakeholder goals Helping stakeholders manage ongoing change long after you've delivered your product Mastering the leadership techniques needed to drive outside-in development

If you are a developer who wants to have your development environment accurately reflect your live servers to tackle the ever-increasing complexity of web and software projects, this book is most certainly intended for you!It's assumed that you know the basics of Linux systems in the context of web-based projects.