It is always a bit of a strain to program in several languages at once. A simple task like writing a database-driven website will involve you in at least three, maybe more. The experience of diving into JavaScript, VB.NET, and TSQL, all at once, is one that most human brains aren’t, in evolutionary terms, designed … Read more
The UK government, ten years ago, launched several reforms of the public sector, pinning their faith in radical IT initiatives to create a powerful, efficient, welfare state. Only now is the full extent of the failure of this dream becoming apparent. Our square-jawed reporter investigates remorselessly, 'in the interests of greater transparency'… Read more
Patrick is gripped by nostalgia for the golden age of IT Contactors in London, and proposes a revival of the Contractometer, a software device for increasing mora… Read more
Our redoubtable reporter goes in search of the stories of some of the IT high-flyers who blew their tech career by getting in trouble with the law. … Read more
The history of IT is littered with the corpses of software companies that assumed that a solution that worked well in particular circumstances would necessarily become a generic panacea. Who, for example, now remembers the past giants of the Workflow industry? The Orcas chrysalis is now hatching into the Visual Studio 2008 butterfly. Well, most … Read more
Database Developers occasionally get crazy ideas into their heads. Phil Factor should know; He confesses that he's had a few completely loopy notions that he pursued to destruction before realising his error. … Read more
Workplace bullying is not to be taken lightly. For the victim it can be traumatising. It is a symptom of poor management and badly-functioning teamwork, and now, at last, it is not only contemptible but also illegal … Read more
We all have our favourite websites. Not the ones we read as part of our job, but the ones we scan whilst munching sandwiches at the desk or, surreptitiously, during an application build process. I’m hooked on giveawayoftheday.com at the moment. It is a site that gives away licensed software. It features a different product … Read more
Phil Factor convenes a short meeting to discuss the data architecture for storing a client's contact details...how painful could it be?
Phil Factor discovers that even the simplest database can be a major cause of grief and complexity… Read more
Our fearless and intrepid reporter investigates the constant struggle between IT headhunters and the IT departments that are using employment contracts to defend against their activities.
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MONDAY, 17 September 2007 On a slightly overcast Denver Monday morning, I strolled into the Colorado Convention Centre, intent on registering for the PASS conference. I stared in wonderment at the distinctive blue bear, entered the building, and followed the sign for “PASS registration”. I duly approached the registration desk. “Hi, I’m here to register” … Read more
It is somewhat comforting to know that even the great and the good in industry make mistakes. The IT industry is amongst the leaders. Our investigative reporter is on the trail...… Read more
Richard Morris comments on the perception amongst some DBAs that the reputation of their profession is declining. In today's world of burgeoning information theft, are DBAs part of the problem or part of the solution?… Read more
Rob Malda, aka CmdrTaco and founder of Slashdot, achieves his elevation to being Simple-Talk's Geek of the Week through his unerring instinct for tracking down what is interesting for his Geek community, and through having the wisdom to continue to immerse himself in deeply technical matters whilst steering the good ship Slashdot.
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The real advances in IT are seldom the ones that are heralded by great noise or media hype. So many of the technologies that have become part of our lives, such as browsers, Email and ‘texting’ came surreptitiously, almost by accident. Technologies that come with a fanfare often tend to fade away. In retrospect, what … Read more
After years working his fingers to the bone on his own IT business, Phil was enjoying the relative tranquillity of work at a City of London bank. However, he was shocked by the number of "light arms" in the IT department, who didn't do a stroke of useful work all day, and became animated only when the magical hour of 5PM approached...… Read more
