Nigel Cheshire

We've all experienced it - the "get it out the door" mentality that seems to be the driving force behind many software application deliveries - a prime example of the software industry's immaturity that favors completion over quality, and an end user's preference for hot new features over stable, reliable systems. Deferring the QA process is an expensive way to operate and corporations are taking a financial hit for these software errors. According to the Washington, D.C., National Institute of Standards and Testing (NIST), software errors cost the U.S. economy $60 billion per year. This report was issued back in 2002 and, since then, the software industry has done little to improve the situation. Why are software bugs so pervasive? We don't accept these same poor standa... (more)

JavaOne - JavaFX abuzz

Nigel Cheshire's Blog I’m at JavaOne this week, where the talk from Sun is all about mobile, or JavaFX and JavaFX Script. I’m not sure the world needs another scripting language, but then what do I know? I know it's a bit off-topic, but the thing that struck me about JavaOne this year is just how busy it is. I didn’t hear any numbers yet, but there are a lot of people he... (more)

Quality Metrics and the Personal Software Process

Nigel Cheshire's Blog I was in a meeting with a customer earlier this week, discussing some of the changes that we see in development teams that start a metrics program and begin to measure the results. I used the phrase “change in the culture and behaviors” of development. In most cases, the skills are there, but the reason best practices aren’t being adhered to, or unit... (more)

iPhone - Service as Important as Software Quality

Nigel Cheshire's Blog A couple of weeks or so after launch, I thought it might be fun to scout around and find out whether iPhone users are experiencing significant software problems with the device or not. I haven’t traded my Blackberry for an iPhone (yet), but a couple of folks in the office have them and are all glassy eyed and in love. It's a slick device, there's no question a... (more)

Using Java Tools to Enforce Best Practices

Bad code abounds, and the cost to fix it is expensive. A 2002 federal study found that software errors and bugs in code cost the U.S. economy nearly $60 billion a year. And a study conducted by The Standish Group reports a 27-month backlog on end-user requests for application enhancements. With bugs and enhancements coming out of the same budgets, only the loudest voices are heard. Many or... (more)