Tag: Open source

Managing Software

Last month, this question came up in a discussion forum I’m involved with:

Another challenge to which i want to get an answer to is, do developers
always need Admin rights to perform their testing? Is there not a way to
give them privilege access and yet have them get their work done. I am
afraid that if Admin rights are given, they would download software’s at
the free will and introduce malicious code in the organization.

The short answer is “no”.
The long answer leads to “no” in a roundabout manner.

Unless your developers are developing admin software they should not need admin rights to test it. Continue reading Managing Software

The IDE of Choice: VI

I do a bit of work on the fringe of the Ruby community, and the Mac is popular there along with an IDE or two. However I’m beginning to see a few articles to the effect that the IDE is getting in the way after a point and that reverting to your favourite text editor as an IDE is actually more productive.

For old-farts like myself that would be VI (or VIM). Such a comment will probably bring cries of derision, more so than the idea of an editor replacing an IDE. But after a few decades editing is no longer a conscious act. Just as some people touch-type and the words appear on the screen (or paper) without any thought about the mechanics, so too with your favourite editor – only it extends to the non-alphanumeric keys too.

Of course I cheat; VIM has panels and Linux has all these windows and other things that make VIM usable as an IDE. Integrated? Yes, in my head. Its the best place for it.

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Are these “Top 10” dumb things or not?

At “10 dumb things users do that can mess up their computers” Debra Littlejohn Shinder brings up some interesting common failings. Lets look at her list, because I have a different take.

#1: Plug into the wall without surge protection
#2: Surf the Internet without a firewall
#3: Neglect to run or update antivirus and anti-spyware programs
#4: Install and uninstall lots of programs, especially betas
#5: Keep disks full and fragmented
#6: Open all attachments
#7: Click on everything
#8: Share and share alike
#9: Pick the wrong passwords
#10: Ignore the need for a backup and recovery plan

Well, they seem interesting, but …
The big “but” gets back to one of my favourite phrases:

Context Is Everything

Very simply, in my own context most of this is meaningless. It may well be in yours as well. Continue reading Are these “Top 10” dumb things or not?