Exactly what you have read: if you have any question for me, don’t hesitate and post it in formspring.me/akosma. I’ll be glad to answer it for you! Of course, iPhone-related questions are top priority. But progressive rock questions are, too. And of course, anything related to Argentina and Switzerland. And software in general. Well, that makes for a lot of subjects; start firing!
Tag Archives: Papers
On the Importance of Yerba Mate in the Software Development Process
This paper will highlight the results of an extensive research conducted since the mid 90′s, on the effects of the consumption of beverages based in the plant known as Ilex paraguariensis, in the framework of software development process activities in South America and some small parts of Europe.
This paper will provide an introduction to the herb commonly referred to as “Yerba Mate”, and will later delve into the advantages and disadvantages of such practice, in the context of the creation of software products.
Introduction
Yerba Mate is defined by Wikipedia as follows:
Yerba mate or yerba-mate (Br.) (Spanish: yerba mate, Portuguese: erva-mate), Ilex paraguariensis, is a species of holly (family Aquifoliaceae) native to subtropical South America in northeastern Argentina, eastern Paraguay and southern Brazil. It was first scientifically classified by Swiss botanist Moses Bertoni, who settled in Paraguay in 1895.
Total Quality Management and Software
Introduction
Total Quality Management is one of the founding pillars of modern mass-production economy, of which the software industry is by far the youngest (and most rebel) child. This article will provide a short discussion on some TQM principles and about their applicability to software projects. Continue reading
About Operating Systems, Abstractions and APIs
Introduction
Charles Petzold, in its book “Code”, states the following:
In theory, application programs are supposed to access the hardware of the computer only through the interfaces provided by the operating system. But many application programmers who dealt with small computer operating systems of the 1970s and early 1980s often bypassed the operating system, particularly in dealing with the video display. Programs that directly wrote bytes into video display memory ran faster than programs that didn’t. Indeed, for some applications – such as those that needed to display graphics on the video display – the operating system was totally inadequate. What many programmers liked most about MS-DOS was that it ‘stayed out of the way’ and let programmers write programs as fast as the hardware allowed.
(Charles Petzold, “Code”, pages 332 & 333)
This paragraph shows the state of things during the MS-DOS & early Windows versions timeframe (from late 1970s until 2000 approximately). During this time, programmers could directly access computer memory, bypassing the APIs offered by the operating system, and thus having total control of the hardware.
This shows two different trends in computer programming, one that respects the functionality offered by the operating system, and another that bypasses it. There are advantages and disadvantages to each approach, and the following paragraphs shows some of them. Continue reading
“Le Courrier” pourrait disparaître / might dissapear / podría desaparecer
(English below; Español más abajo)
Le Courrier est peut-être un des derniers journaux suisses vraiment indépendants. J’apprécie le ton critique de ses notes, la qualité de sa rédaction, et le fait que chaque note me fasse penser le monde d’une façon différente.
Mais ils sont à point de disparaître à jamais; ils ont un passif de CHF 400.000 et pour cela ils ont besoin de deux choses: de plus de souscriptions (pour une année ce ne sont que CHF 299!), mais aussi de nos dons pour pouvoir réduire le passif qui pourrait les engloutir; il leur faut réunir CHF 150.000 avant la fin de l’année. Ils ont un compte postal pour recevoir vos dons: 12-1254-9.
Si le CIRA à Lausanne a pu réunir cette somme, je suis sûr que Le Courrier peut aussi le faire. La solidarité existe.
Il est vraiment important que Le Courrier reste en vie, puisque c’est avec une presse contrastée que l’on construit un pays juste. Je pense savoir de ce que je parle; j’ai vécu dans une dictature, et je n’ai pas envie de vivre cela à nouveau. En Suisse, quasiment tous les journeaux appartiennent aux mêmes groupes éditoriaux, et de cette façon, la liberté de presse se noie complètement; il faut beaucoup de voix pour faire un pays libre, même si on n’est pas toujours d’accord avec ce qu’elles disent.
Le Courrier might be the last truly independent Swiss newspaper. I appreciate the depth of the articles, the quality of the writing, and the fact that every article makes me think about the world in a different way.
But they are about to dissappear forever; they have a debt worth CHF 400.000, and they need two things: more subscribers (it only costs CHF 299 per year!) and also our direct help, in order to get CHF 150.000 before the end of the year. They have a Swiss Post account to receive your donations: 12-1254-9.
If the CIRA in Lausanne has been able to gather that same amount, I’m sure that Le Courrier can do it too. Solidarity exists.
It is really important that for this newspaper to stay alive; not only because of their jobs, but because a free country needs free information, and I’ve already lived in a dictatorship; you do not want all the papers in this country to belong to the same editorial group (which is almost what happens today in Switzerland). Free speech means lots of voices, even if you do not always agree with them.
Le Courrier es probablemente el ultimo diario realmente independiente de Suiza. Me gusta leerlo, particularmente por la diversidad de las notas, el tono crítico, y porque cada articulo me hace ver el mundo de otra manera.
Pero estan a punto de desaparecer irremediablemente; el diario tiene un pasivo de CHF 400.000 y necesitan dos cosas para sobrevivir: más suscripciones (solamente cuesta CHF 299 por año!) pero tambien nuestra ayuda inmediata en forma de donaciones para juntar CHF 150.000 antes de fin de año. Tienen una cuenta en el correo suizo para sus donaciones: 12-1254-9.
Si el CIRA de Lausana pudo juntar tal suma, estoy seguro de que Le Courrier puede tambien hacerlo. La solidaridad existe.
Es muy importante que este diario exista, pero no por el diario en sí, sino por la libertad de prensa en sí misma. En Suiza, la mayoría de los diarios pertenece a unos pocos grupos editoriales, y para vivir en un país libre, se necesita que muchas voces se alcen al unísono, incluso si no se está siempre de acuerdo con ellas. Ya he vivido en una dictadura, no quiero volver a hacerlo.
Quick Comparison of C# and Ruby
Introduction
I have been working as a software developer since 1996, and as such I’ve used a variety of different languages, both compiled and interpreted. But the who languages that I know and use most today, are two somewhat different ones, C# and Ruby. I will begin my presentation with a short explanation of both, providing their major similarities and differences, and then providing some code samples of both.
Both languages are ranked #7 and #21 respectively in the TIOBE Programming Community Index, as of February 2006 (http://www.tiobe.com/tpci.htm).