SEMiSLUG Notes

14 March 2002

Question & Answer Sessions

Who e-mailed from danno from an @Home address about a Sun monitor?

No idea.

Any experience using tools for scanning e-mail-borne PC virii under Un*x?

SuSE has something, I think. There's also some sendmail add-ins, if you go digging for them. stalker.com is a nice place to check.

Jobs?

MJO knows someone looking for firewall weenies. EMV is looking.

Keith's e-mail?

Keith who?

Any DSL west of Westgate (west of I-94, south of Webber's) to be had?

Datapoint: Matt Landry reports DSL being installed even farther out (west of Jackson Rd.).

3640 and full public Internet BGP route tabe ... is it doable?

Cisco says, "Not possible." But there's an ISP doing it anyway. It's doable, but it's not stable with more than five T1s.

How do you deal with redundant T1s when you can't announce your own routes (because you're too small)?

No real suggestions for a /26 network.

Get two fully redundant pipes to their ISP as the next best thing.

Anyone had success with ClosedBSD?

It's a recent release of OpenBSD that fits on a floppy. Designed for firewall/router application. No one seems to have played with it except for Steve.

Is that a serious question?

Yes.

Who are Steve's preferred running-mates?

President and Treasurer are unapposed, and this is good. (more info to follow)

Has anyone seen the Security Best-Practices RFC?

It's a good read ... check it out.

If you were to find a security hole in X (all versions), who would you report it to?

The X consortium, via the XFree86 group (who cares about security more than most).

How many people have got _working_ SNMP patches after all the hoo-hah?

Some of the patches are less than optimal.

Troy seeks a working pptp server with encryption for Linux ... got one?

No suggestions.

What's the cheapest inkjet printer (cost per page) available?

The refill route is the cheapest way to go. You'll need new cartridges after 2-3 refills. For really cheap per-page cost, get a laser printer.

Any good local sources for reloaded laser toner cartridges? Or non-local that are worth the trouble?

Nothing really mentioned.

Best wireless card and access point for <= $300 that can transmit from one end of Paul's house to the other (about 60 feet)?

Linksys is crappy. SMC WAP with a Lucent card is good. Antenna placement is a big issue.

Google for "snmp linksys" for info on adjusting signal strenth.

Any 802.11a experience?

Not really.

Where's Danno been the last few months?

Here and there.

Why wouldn't Larry take the parking spot Becki suggested?

It's a guy think.

How's that coffee, Steve?

Don't ask.


Presentation



Steve Simmons Presents:

    Rich Sheridan on "Extreme Programming!!!"
    or "Applying XP in Transforming a Software Development Team"

Historical Perspective:

  + Optimistic attitude and a restless urge to make a diffeence
  + Better way of doing things than were customary
  + Work fucused on results in everyday life in homes & offices.

Rich's Personal Perspective:

  + How do you achieve the internal, sustrainable behavior changes
    required to compete in an "internet speed" market?
                                        (People, process, culture)
  + "Rich, we need a development team that rocks!"
                        -- Bob Nero, former CEO, Interface Systems

The Setting

  + Legasy team of 15 developers (some with 20+ years of experience)
  + Individual offices and cubes
  + Needed to . . .

The Transformation

  + Our own version of L2i
  + Extreme Programming
    + Iterative and incremental
    + Code stewardship, not ownership
    + Open and collaborative workspace
    + Paired programming
  + Java (Open, Portable, Object-oriented, Internet)
  + Focus on feature-oriented, long-term growth
  + Out with the old . . .

  Must get away from the "tower of knowledge" approach.

Problems

  + Towers of knowledge

    + Adding resources
    + Cross-training
    + Lack of flexibility
    + Difficulty in managing resources

  + Slow feedback

Advantages of Pairs

  + Natural mentoring
  + Productivity is measured in features and quality rather than lines of code.
  + Cross-training
  + Built-in flexibility
  + Never Stuck
  + Constant forward motion

Automated Unit Testing

  + An open framework for writing and capturing unit tests
  + Reinforces design and architecture
  + Safety net for developer practices
  + The best way to teach and apply object-oriented programming.
  + Allows you to keep software "soft".

Planning Instead of a Plan

  "A plan is useless, but planning is essential."
                                -- Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower

  + Two week iterations
  + What's important right now?
  + Show and Tell
    + Two week peeks
    + Driven by business, not technology
    + Business-oriented stories

Ready, fire, aim, aim, aim ...

  + Ultimate feedback tool (connects with business and development)
  + Show faster, cancel sooner, promote most important business features first
  + Business is in the driver's seat

Factory environment increases communication and needs fewer meetings

A Software Factory

  + Not only pairs, but teams of pairs
  + Instant communications, no barriers
  + Instant help, domain experts within earshot
  + A complete software team
  + Excitement about the mission

Summary of XP practices

  + Programming -- Simple design, testing, refactoring, coding standards
  + Team -- Collective ownership, continuous integration, metaphor,
    coding standards, 40 hour work-week, pair programing, small releases
  + Processes -- Planning Game,  testing, small releases, on-site customer

Further reading

  + Standish Group report

    http://www.pm2go.com/sample_research/chaos_1994_1.asp

  + "Extreme Programming Explained" -- Kent Beck
  + "The Design of Everyday Things" -- Donald A. Norman
  + "Strengthening the Case for Pair Programming"
    -- http://www.objectmentor.com/s4williams.lo.pdf



Rumor & Innuendo (No names, please)


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