Articles by Mike Deasy

Helping to Manage Your Team

Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST

Each software deployment and project has it's own foibles and odd configurations. One thing that is fairly consistent, however, is the fact that you will be working on or with a team. If you have been involved in development on a professional level for any period of time, you have been assigned to or have managed a team.

ChristmaSoft 2004

Wed, 01 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST

Once again it's time to write about moments that signal the end of the year in the Pacific Northwest. The choking Seattle sports teams, the freezing rain, the Christmas special peppermint lattés and, of course, my favorite hair-cutting place.

Teachings of the Buddha

Fri, 01 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EDT

As a child growing up in Los Angeles in the '60s, I was constantly exposed to the hippie culture, primarily because my mom and dad were hippies, and still are in many ways. We had beads hanging in doorways, learned candle making, tie-dyeing, leather working, and various other 'head shop' crafts. There was psychedelic music and teachings from the East. One of my earliest memories is the children's version of the Teachings of Buddha.

What Happened to Tiger?

Wed, 01 Sep 2004 00:00:00 EDT

Tiger Woods is, arguably, one of the finest golfers ever to pick up a club. During his peak a few years ago, it really did not seem as if anyone would ever beat him. He dominated the game, dominated every player he came up against. He was an invincible force. I asked a buddy once why he and his fellow duffers thought Tiger was so amazing.

Does the Stupid Thing Work?

Thu, 01 Apr 2004 00:00:00 EST

We have all seen them, all remember them - the IT office funnies. There was the Story of Creation as told to URK - a lovely reenactment of Genesis put together by hard-core mainframers. There was a document (prepared by individuals working in the defense industry) that had a hilarious list of acronyms, mostly defining the many ways that the worker bee was dumped upon.

Is the New Year Really Going to Be New?

Fri, 09 Jan 2004 12:00:00 EST

Time is passing, as that is its nature. Outside of overdone science fiction, there really is no moving backward. The future is variable-filled, uncertainty looming ahead like an audit of a badly run project. What do we dare in the coming days? What will this New Year hold for us IT professionals?

Holiday Greetings from Seattle - Jingle all the way . . .

Wed, 03 Dec 2003 14:00:00 EST

Ahh, the holidays - time for warmth, family, a spirit of charity (or greed, depending on your wont), and days off. Many of us spend our holidays vacationing, shopping, worshipping, and trying to rekindle childhood memories or feelings.

Don't Impede the Business of Business

Wed, 12 Nov 2003 11:00:00 EST

There are times when it seems that the most well intentioned and seemingly helpful IT professionals are simply standing in the way of the progress of business. It may seem preposterous to some of you, probably raise a few hackles no doubt. 'Hey, not us.

The Hidden Dangers of Telecommuting

Thu, 01 May 2003 00:00:00 EDT

And if not the CEO, how about some tech support, order takers, a programmer, some direct marketers, and maybe even a couple of scheduling analysts? Telecommuters are becoming more than a clever '90s buzzword.

Managing Management

Sat, 01 Mar 2003 00:00:00 EST

Bosses are the backbone of middle American management and the harbinger of the quick-fix style. Some bosses are good; some can be a nightmare. There may be a lot of truth to that old saying, 'We have a new boss, same as the old boss,' but it doesn't necessarily comprise the truth in the IS world.

Surfing with the Ancient Chinese

Wed, 01 Jan 2003 00:00:00 EST

Why is it that some Web sites are more appealing and seem to work better than others? It's not always about the speed of the download, although quite often that can be the problem. Sometimes there are broader issues at hand. Even with screens that refresh slowly and try our patience, we can't seem to pull ourselves away as we move from one site to another.

Is the New Year Really Going to Be New? - Expectations become reality

Wed, 01 Jan 2003 00:00:00 EST

Holiday Greetings from Seattle - Jingle all the way . . .

Sun, 01 Dec 2002 00:00:00 EST

Don't Impede the Business of Business

Fri, 01 Nov 2002 00:00:00 EST

Improving Your Transition Game

Fri, 01 Nov 2002 00:00:00 EST

The sport term 'transition game' is often used in basketball, as that game requires instantaneous transition from one modality to another.

Showdown: Are You Ready to Rumble?

Mon, 01 Jul 2002 00:00:00 EDT

During a lunch discussion with my fellow officers in the Tulsa Java User Group, we explored the issues. We also decided to see if we could get some vendors to come in and discuss the issues from both perspectives. This expanded into a formal debate, and thus the .NET vs J2EE Smackdown was born. Our group started to plan this event; we contacted Microsoft and Sun and both sides were more than willing to engage.

Are You Ready to Rumble?

Mon, 01 Jul 2002 00:00:00 EDT

There is a raging debate in the developer community: Microsoft's new platform .NET versus the Sun standard J2EE. J2EE has been around for a few years, while Microsoft's attempt is decidedly the new kid on the block.

The Hidden Dangers of Telecommuting

Wed, 01 May 2002 00:00:00 EDT

Managing Management

Fri, 01 Mar 2002 00:00:00 EST

Surfing with the Ancient Chinese

Tue, 01 Jan 2002 00:00:00 EST

Improving Your Transition Game

Thu, 01 Nov 2001 00:00:00 EST

The sport term 'transition game' is often used in basketball, as that game requires instantaneous transition from one modality to another.

Cast 4.0 Adds Java and Oracle Objects to Reverse Engineering

Thu, 01 Nov 2001 00:00:00 EST

The CAST workbench is a vital tool for our applications here at Williams Energy, and, in September 2000, I wrote a case study of how we applied the CAST workbench to our Natural Gas application to assist in learning about our object structure. This summer, CAST is going to release a newer version of the CAST workbench, and I've had a chance to look it over and run it through in advance. There are two primary new features.

Fear and Loathing in San Diego

Wed, 01 Aug 2001 00:00:00 EDT

TechWave offers many enjoyable aspects - from classes to vendor contests to free booze. TechWave can really be a lot of fun. However, as in all things, it's just as well to make some concessions to moderation. When it's clear that you can't get what you want from a vendor or a technician or a teacher, or even from Shamu, then you're in real trouble.

Are You Ready to Rumble?

Sun, 01 Jul 2001 00:00:00 EDT

Charting The Flight Of The Killer App

Fri, 01 Jun 2001 00:00:00 EDT

Groundbreaking nuclear-geneticist Hermann Joseph Muller said, 'Life is a whole ceaseless change. There is no sign of physical limit yet.' Bearing that in mind, it occurred to me that I should begin to test the limits of PowerBuilder 8, and see if I could disprove Muller. It seemed to me the easiest way to go about this heady undertaking was to convert our EMS natural gas trading and accounting application. It was written in PB 6.5 with the PFC and Transact-SQL for the motors behind the screens.

Sybase Rocks!

Sun, 01 Apr 2001 00:00:00 EST

I have dealt with Sybase in one form or another for over five years, initially as a student, taking classes from certified instructors, or on occasion calling technical support for an assist. Over the last few years I've been a primary support point of contact for our subsidiary of Williams, a beta tester, and president of our local user group.

Contractors-Use Them, Don't Abuse Them

Mon, 01 Jan 2001 00:00:00 EST

John Olson wrote a wonderful article on the value of consultants ('The Value of Consulting Services,' PBDJ, Vol. 7, issue 11). In it he discussed contractor valuation, gave excellent hiring and searching advice, and provided some explanation of how a contractor can be put to use. I'd like to offer an extended view of who some of our contractors are and how best to use them. There are also some tips on how to avoid abusing them.

What Cost Optimization?

Wed, 01 Nov 2000 00:00:00 EST

It may not be economically feasible (or necessary) for you to throw money at speeding up applications. Spending a certain amount of money on speed may be expedient and eventually even necessary, but it shouldn't be our first choice as analysts or managers. Too many hours are spent working up cost justification analyses and AFEs (Authority for Expenditures) that could have been spent on actual repairs.

Frenzy Projects - How To Survive A Season In The Lion's Den

Sun, 01 Oct 2000 00:00:00 EDT

I've recently been involved with several 'frenzy projects' - projects fueled by a sense of desperation. They have a psychotically myopic sense of purpose. These projects are known for large budgets, high profiles and very severe consequences if they don't go well. The sentiment among business users is, 'We don't care what it costs, just make it happen.' This happened all over America with Y2K projects, and it's happening now with companies doing e-business - enabled projects. Next month perhaps it will be a conversion to microscopic embedded databases. Here are some suggestions to help you avoid the gallows and succeed during a frenzy project.

CAST Will Map Your Mystery Objects

Fri, 01 Sep 2000 00:00:00 EDT

Consider if you will a company buys the source code for a large natural gas operations and accounting application and gives a small team of developers the job of supporting it. There are 600-plus PB objects, over 1,700 stored procedures, 604 triggers, 179 views and 400-plus tables in this application.

DataWindow Tips and Techniques

Sat, 01 Jul 2000 00:00:00 EDT

The DataWindow is the best gift Powersoft could have given to the development community. A primary marketing tool used to sell PowerBuilder, the DataWindow is the one you save for the end of the argument (and win), the exclamation point in the discussion with the VB guys. Why has no one dedicated a book to it until now?

IMHO - On Starting a PBUG

Mon, 01 May 2000 00:00:00 EDT

Several years ago I realized that the Tulsa PBUG (PowerBuilder Users Group) was defunct. After talking to those involved it became clear that interest had waned and there was little officer support - the group died of starvation. It seemed that here was a great opportunity.