End of software? No

What happened to software? Why is there so few creative software (2010)? Are we at the end of software? What are the forces which led to this situation, looking like a bit step backward to the epoch of non-programmable accounting machines? Is there a way out of this situation? Yes, and a very simple one: make good software. With invention. Developing models and abstractions. It is difficult but absolutely possible. It this re-start of software I wish to explore here in this blog. Welcome

domingo, 29 de julho de 2012

Do we need parallel programming?

At least a common sense view of parallel coding: Will Parallel Code Ever Be Embraced?
Answer: probably not. By a parallel programming practionner.

Future of AI

Artificial Intelligence is not a theme here, but its contribution to the art (and science and technic) of programming is strong. Interesting debate between Norvig and Chomsky.

Also refer to Judea Pearl (2012 ACM Turing award winner) on use of probability. CACM vol.55, no.6, June 2012: "I called it do-calculus because it allows you to reduce questions about the effect of interventions to symbolic manipulations."

Teaching programming

Simple, and not using computer, way to teach computing fundamentals

terça-feira, 3 de julho de 2012

Aligning IT with business is 'disastrous' for IT

Forrester has a point: IT doesn't have to be aligned with business, IT is about innovation and doing new business.

Also, Forrester on Facebook and cloud.

File: a simple but important concept

Why Files Exist remember us that this abstraction is important. Devices with no file access for users are "proprietary" devices. Again, this leads us to the seminal idea of a computer: data = program.

Example: to load a program we load... a file.