Brian Duff

There's an undeniable shift toward aesthetically pleasing UI. I think Mac OS X is entirely to blame for starting the recent surge in popularity of nice looking UI (along with its dastardly co-conspiritor, cheap display technology). Windows XP, Eclipse, NetBeans, Whidbey etc. are getting in on the act too with high color icons, use of gradients, alpha blending and vibrant color palettes. I read Don Norman's excellent book, "Emotional Design: Why we love (or hate) everyday things" a while back. Norman talks about how making a product aesthetically pleasing isn't just fluffy decoration but has real, measurable, usability benefits. Among many "proper" features we're adding in the next release of JDeveloper, we also have a specific effort to improve the aesthetics of the product. I don't want to show too much of this yet, partly because it isn't complete yet, it's changi... (more)

Taming Team Conflicts in Java Development

A vital aspect of developing software as a team is the process of managing change effectively. Today, many teams leverage software tools to reduce the manual burden of coping with fluidity in software development. A version control system such as the Concurrent Versioning System (CVS) is an important tool in any team's arsenal of utilities and processes for change management. Version control is useful, if not vital, to the way most teams cope with change. Over time, version control products have become increasingly sophisticated and flexible. A watershed event in the history of ve... (more)