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Comment Use Scrum (Score 2) 304

I recommend Scrum (http://bugzilla/bugzilla-3.0.3/show_bug.cgi?id=251245). The work having already been separated into reasonable chunks, at the beginning of each three-week sprint, we again ask the decision makers, "What are the most important results that we can deliver during the next few weeks?" We effectively wipe out the project list once every three weeks! It allows us to turn very quickly to deal with new priorities.

We also have technical support issues to deal with. We attempt to manage them during sprint planning by planning time to resolve them, considering our past history. On occasion, the issues mean that some priorities can't be handled during the sprint, but we usually still get most of our important work done.

Rating each item in a long list of critical modifications is not what you really want, anyway. What you really want is a periodic answer to the question above. It is almost always easier to answer that one question than it is to prioritize a long modification list. The question naturally forces decision makers to think in well-defined, manageable chunks, and it forces teams to estimate well and to deliver results regularly. Scrum puts ceremony around the question.

Comment Every problem is an opportunity (Score 2) 362

Yes, many of these things are standard in large development environments. The smaller you go, the less "standard" they might become. Nonetheless... I suspect that "drop everything and run away" might not be an opportunity for you, as if it were, you probably wouldn't be asking your question here. Every problem is an opportunity, right? Awesome! You have found a new opportunity to learn and grow. You have found yourself in a situation that rubs you the wrong way. How will you change it?
  • Run away? You don't like the situation, you don't like fighting windmills, and you're ready and willing to move on. Great, go for it!
  • Stick it out? You don't like the situation, you don't like fighting windmills, and you can't move on. Take this opportunity to learn about your new environment from within. Try to understand why they do what they do, and how it got that way. Someday, in a new role, you can bring that experience to bear on a new problem.
  • Fix the problems? You don't like the situation, and you have the courage and compassion to take on the windmill. Great! Tread gently, as you are new to this organization. Build trust within the organization. Take the time to understand why they do what they do, and how it got that way. Then, when the opportunity is right and you have a sympathetic ear, make your case for change to the right people. You will likely only have one shot, so make it good.

Whichever route you take, good luck to you!

Comment Write still present, at least as a proxy (Score 3, Interesting) 249

The original Write might have gone away...but there is still a proxy in its place.

If you look in Windows 7's \system32 directory, you will find good ol' write.exe. I believe the icon is the same one it had in the Win 95 days. If you look at the property dialog for the file, and click over to the Details tab, you'll see that the "File description" is "Windows Write". Even in Windows 7, one can invoke "write hello.txt" from the command line.

However, the executable is tiny, and it appears to simply invoke WordPad. The executable that shows up in Task Manager is "wordpad.exe".
Security

Submission + - Drive-By Pharming Attack Could Hit Home Networks

Rob writes: CBRonline.com is reporting that security researchers at Symantec and Indiana University have figured out a way to compromise home networks using a single line of JavaScript in a web page. The attack, which they have called "drive-by pharming", would enable attackers to convincingly pretend to be any web site on the internet, making it fairly trivial to repeatedly phish for sensitive information, install malware on users' machines, or steal email.

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