Java

Article Series: "Automated code reviews with Checkstyle" on JavaWorld

ShriKant Vashishtha · November 26, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Today JavaWorld published my article series “Automated code reviews with Checkstyle” in 2 parts.

Part 1:
Automated code reviews with Checkstyle, Part 1

Part 2:
Automated code reviews with Checkstyle, Part 2

This article series attempts to bridge the gap of code review with applying automated Checkstyle checks in a complete and proactive way. First goal is to make the task of custom Checkstyle rules creation so simple so that any enterprise IT team could create new custom rules suiting to their project (IT standards) needs.

Second goal is to apply these rules in PROCTIVE fashion. Instead of waiting the build to fail or waiting for rule violation reports and working on them in a reactive way, the idea is to apply these checks proactively with Checkstyle Eclipse plugin or applying them at SVN level itself. Irrespective of which IDE you are using, if your code contains some of the high severity violations, you will not be able to commit the code in SVN. You will see the same kind errors and location on SVN console as you see with Eclipse plugin. This is achieved using SVN pre-commit hooks.

Knowledge Transfer in Agile Maintenance Projects

ShriKant Vashishtha · August 15, 2008 · Leave a Comment

When you think of inducting a new developer in existing project, it’s relatively easier to do it in an Agile software development project than in a traditional project. The atmosphere and programming culture is entirely different here compared to any traditional project. Instead of people working in isolation and being responsible for assigned tasks, people here work in a mode where frequent communication across table is necessary. Instead of one person being responsible for assigned tasks, the whole team is responsible to complete it.

The mantra is efficient communication and more interactions. So when a new developer enters the Agile project (Scrum + XP based), pair programming, communication across the table makes a person comfortable with the new project environment. Instead of going through bulk of developer’s handbook and design document, conversations help to bridge the gap. However when you need to really need to refer some documentation, it’s always there. Also new developer continues to develop on top of whatever existing team has built on. So you see, knowledge transfer is seamless and relatively easier compared to any traditional project.

Preparing for Agile Maintenance – Knowledge Management

ShriKant Vashishtha · August 14, 2008 · Leave a Comment

When you think about documentation in Agile software development, most of the times it talks about “just enough” which definitely makes sense considering the thickness of design documents in traditional software development. The Agile mind specifically thinks what actually is required in terms of documentation.

Agile software development also gets translated into efficient communication, collocation and sitting in one room or same table and having conversations whenever there are issues. Some of the XP practices like pair-programming helps a new joinee to come upto the speed when she joins the project.

When you talk about effective communication and resolving issues in a team as and when they arrive, you lead towards a situation in which knowledge resides in the heads. People may not feel the need of documenting in detail as they seem to know everything about the project. You may end up in a situation where a new team doesn’t have “enough” documentation to begin with in maintenance phase. That’s why when one talks about “just enough documentation”, that “enough” word needs to be quantified.

Which caching algorithm to use when?

ShriKant Vashishtha · June 11, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Sometimes we really look for what kind of caching algorithm we should use in what situations. By default we use LFU. But many times we would like to know which one to use when. Here is a summary of the issues we face with different caching algorithms.

Least frequently Used (LFU) – LFU implicitly works based on the principle of number of times you access a particular key. At the face of it, it looks cool but as soon as you think about doing processing for each thread to count the number of times it is accessed, you’re implicitly inviting performance issues and handling concurrency issues. For high load, these issues really make a big difference.
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People issues in Indian IT

ShriKant Vashishtha · June 10, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Indian IT companies have been on recruitment spree for quite sometime. Because of global recession, may be recruitment has become a little bit slow but how about thinking a target of recruiting 25000 people in one year. You will go nuts…

Some of the biggest Indian software companies have been getting the huge contracts which span years of the relationship and say a billion dollar contract with the customer. IT offshoring has remained a biggest buzz for many of the multi-national companies as part of cost-cutting or to reduce their IT spending.
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