Behavior-Driven Development with SpecFlow and WatiN

I’ve never been a huge fan of TDD in its purest form. This is an interesting approach though to BDD that accomplishes the same thing and more.


I’m interested in your thoughts in this article.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/gg490346.aspx

Here is the code if you wanted to download it:
http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/mag201012BDD/Release/ProjectReleases.aspx?ReleaseId=5241

How to respond to a ridiculous timeline...

Mozart’s response to his father’s inquiry about an opera due to the Duke in just 3 weeks is classic:


"Everything has been composed, just not yet written down." – Letter to Leopold Mozart [1780]

How to succeed in Internet commerce by being a jerk

An interesting read that one of the engineers on my team forwarded on to me...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/28/business/28borker.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

"I have stared into the black-eyed-heart of online shopping darkness and seen a smiling Russian immigrant entrepreneur staring back at me. That's the only way to describe the feeling I had after reading David Segal's New York Times expose on how to succeed in Internet commerce by being a jerk. The story and interview with one Vitaly Borker is a must read for every online consumer and any Internet merchant who runs an online business and works hard to cultivate a Google Search result presence."

Our field's next generation

If you haven't read the Editor's note of the Nov. 2010 issue of MSDN magazine entitled "Proactive Eduction" and you're in the software development career field, then I would encourage you to do so.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/gg309186.aspx

The article really got me thinking about the benefit for any organization of substantive size to have an internship program.  Such a program would target high school students interested in programming and college students majoring in computer science or related field.  It could be paid, un-paid, or both.  IT groups would need to work with their HR department on the details. 

I could see such a program having the following benefits:
1) It could breed qualified candidates for junior programmer new hires upon graduation. 
2) Those professionals that are more seasoned would gain teaching and mentoring skills.
3) The cost of labor performed by interns would be low and financially advantageous to departments.
4) "Giving back" would provide good marketing and publicity for the organization.

I'm sure there are disadvantages to having such a program, but I just can't think of anything that's even worth noting.  Just my 2 cents.