java.net Weblogs by Daniel H. Steinberg

Weblogs by Daniel H. Steinberg from Java.net

Community Meetings - (Found July 2, 2008 )

At the first java.net community meeting, I talked about the dynamic nature of the content on Java Today saying something like "I'm the editor-in-chief of java.net and I don't know what's on our site today." Perhaps that's why I haven't been invited to the second community meeting scheduled for August 6 from 7-9pm at the Argent Hotel in San Francisco during the LinuxWorld Conference and Expo.
http://weblogs.java.net/pub/wlg/251

Ignoring Requirements - (Found July 2, 2008 )

You get a big fat requirements specification document. You know, the one big enough for a three year old to use as a booster seat. You couldn't possibly have read it all -- do you sign it In Java Today we link to Stephen Taylor's discussion of this issue. In The Experience of Being Understood, Taylor says that in his experience, the business manager always signs to approve a document he couldn't possibly have read himself.
http://weblogs.java.net/pub/wlg/255

A little perspective - (Found July 2, 2008 )

There's sometimes a rush to cover an event the minute it's over. That kind of reporting is fun. You crank out a few thousand words that communicate the news and the atmosphere of an experience to people that couldn't attend. But there's also value in presenting an article a week or so later. Once the hype fades, you can see what is real. You have a chance to bounce ideas off of other people who were at the show and, as important, get to talk to those who weren't. In the Java Today feature "A..
http://weblogs.java.net/pub/wlg/212

No Dead Ends - (Found July 2, 2008 )

In his Java Today weblog "What Do You Want Me To Do",, Mike Loukides muses on how we can write software that has a chance of figuring out what the user wants to do and not just signalling when an operation is illegal. He sites Jon Postel's famous guideline that you "be strict in what you send, and tolerant in what you accept." The blog looks at the current state and the balance between being having protocols that are too permissive and those that are too vague.
http://weblogs.java.net/pub/wlg/210

Discussing the JRL - (Found July 2, 2008 )

Sun has presented the Java Research License as a new and improved license for universities and research. If you've been reading our blogs over the last two weeks you know that the bloggers aren't shy about offering an opinion. I invited a few of them to participate in a discussion of the JRL and collected their thoughts into our lead article in Java Today . I'm hoping that our articles vary both in subject matter and in format. "Exploring the Java Research License" is meant to be the beginning.
http://weblogs.java.net/pub/wlg/201

Improving Content by Removing Process - (Found July 2, 2008 )

At last night's JavaOne Fireside chat, James Gosling said "there were almost no original ideas in Java. It was controlled theft." Graham Hamilton, the Sun VP who is the architect of J2SE 1.5 told Gosling that "choosing what to leave out was your best contribution." Blogs are featured in this first issue of Java Today because the entries highlight what we're trying to leave out on this site.
http://weblogs.java.net/pub/wlg/36

Innovation happens elsewhere - (Found July 2, 2008 )

The most frequently cited quote at this year's JavaOne Conference is Bill Joy's statement that "Innovation happens elsewhere." The idea is a simple one. At the alumni fireside chat, Rob Gingell characterised it as meaning whatever you are doing, and no matter how many smart people are on your team, there are always more smarter people elsewhere.
http://weblogs.java.net/pub/wlg/69

Widening your World - (Found July 2, 2008 )

Brazil's contingent here at JavaOne has always been very visible. Some of the Brazilian attendees proudly wear their country's flag like a cape and they all cheer wildly when one of their members is recognized. I've been corresponding with Daniel de Oliviera, coordinator of the brasilia Java users group. Their JUG is the second largest in the world with more than 6300 members. I'm interested in making our site more friendly to those for whom English is not a first language and I am very...
http://weblogs.java.net/pub/wlg/119

Communities and Projects - (Found July 2, 2008 )

This year's JavaOne has been a great time to catch up with people. It's been a busy week of sessions, BoFs, walking the show floor, and informal gatherings over a cup of coffee or a beer. With all that's going on here in San Francisco and elsewhere, the response to java.net has been amazing. In the first two and a half days there were five thousand registrations and nearly two hundred new projects submitted.
http://weblogs.java.net/pub/wlg/136

Your Digital Identity - (Found July 2, 2008 )

There is a balancing act between providing easy access and providing protection. On the one hand it would be nice to provide single signon and ease of access to federated sites so that the user can login once and then seamlessly navigate a family of related sites. On the other hand, an individual should be able to control who has access to information about their personal information and activities. Robert Stephenson's weblog "Java and Education: persistent digital identity" surveys a wide...
http://weblogs.java.net/pub/wlg/152