YouTube was among the first big brands which decided to stop supporting Internet Explorer 6 and today Google joined the IE6 ban. Like many others Google is using more and more Javascript technology to realize Rich Internet Applications (RIA). The main issue is that JavaScript is not supported in the same way by different browsers and especially preparing a working Internet application for IE6 is a time consuming trial and error challenge.

Yesterday I was talking to a researcher of the Amsterdam University. As Goyello we take part in the Symbiosis program and from time to time they measure the progress of all the participants. During the interview we concluded that in many outsourcing projects in general the demand management is the weakest part and the main cause of failure. Nothing new, I stressed the importance before. The main question is probably why this keeps going wrong. I think the answer is simple: Software development is Art! And artists are hard to handle.

Whether or not you are using Twitter, please continue reading. This is not a typical “new on Twitter” post, although it is about Twitter. Last night Seesmic launched a new revolutionary application Seesmic Look. Seesmic Look is a unique way to learn, observe or be immersed in the real-time web. It’s a Windows desktop app bringing together Twitter data with a beautiful design, approachability and ease of use. Even without a Twitter account it enables you to find valuable information and to jump on the hot trends on Twitter. Having a Twitter account your personal timelines will be incorporated as well. The great look and feel of the application makes it a nice to use one. Seesmic Look works on Windows XP, Vista and 7

Recently, I was reading some bits about Kanban system for Software Engineering. I thought “oh no… another Agile fancy word, which introduces hardly any value”. Well, after a few minutes of reading and thinking I must say one thing. Kanban is an Agile manifesto grasp in set of important principles. I must say, that it changed my way of thinking regarding Agile and how we have implemented it in our company.

http://www.pongoresume.com

The beginning of a new year is always a great time to start moving your career in a better direction. It’s pretty common that at that time many employees set Workplace and Career New Year’ s Resolutions.

This is also the time for looking back on what you achieved last year, what failures you faced and what lessons you learned. Based on that many of us start planning their career paths all over again.

But can you actually plan it? Does a strict career path limit your perspective? Or maybe it’s just pointless since we are unable to control external factors that affect us?

According to a new report by Forrester Research, Inc. the technology sector will see a recovery in 2010 as businesses and governments in the US and around the world begin spending again on information technology. After declining 8.2 percent in 2009, US IT spending will grow 6.6 percent in 2010 to $568 billion. Global IT spending, which dropped 8.9 percent last year, will rise 8.1 percent in 2010 to more than $1.6 trillion.

photo credit: Ultor83

Try to recall the last talk you had with some friends in the bar or colleagues over lunch? What was it about?

In the case of a group of women I don’t know it. If related to cars I guess you mentioned the nice but, the great look & feel, the rounded shapes, beautiful striping, nice and special color, the safety and the great seat covers.

If not about women or money you and your male friends talked about cars. Especially about horse power, engine size, fuel type, fuel consumption, acceleration, maximum speed, tire size and more technical and impressive specs.

Do you ever have such talks about the software you have just bought?

PHP 5 Zend Certified Engineer is the most known and respected title for PHP developers. Currently, at the end of 2009, there are only 3493 Zend Certified Engineers worldwide. 2542 of them are certified in PHP 5.

Surprisingly it isn’t  really hard to pass the exam. With proper approach and materials it is even quite easy.

Let me share with you a  few tips which will let you pass the exam so you could also be listed on PHP Yellow Pages.

When you are working with social media you tend to forget that the adoption of social media is still rather low. I recently noticed this when I was requested to provide a presentation about online corporate branding. Still many people are hardly using the possibilities of social media. Meanwhile, it’s becoming obvious that you can improve your competitive advantage. By means of social media the smallest company is able to gain the branding image of a big corporate. Online the differences in between big and small are way smaller than in the offline world. Below I will share with you what social media you could give a try in 2010.

In the software development world employers always look for creative coders. Such employees come up with innovative ideas which may save a lot of time when developing functionalities that are hard to create. They see doors where others see walls. My colleague once said that all best ideas result from coders’ laziness. They use their creativity to make their life simpler. As I mentioned in my previous post, the best coders don’t aim for complexity while missing the obvious solutions. They usually are faithful to simplicity. But this requires creativity.