pywebdev for Ubuntu v9.10 released

I’ve posted a release of the pywebdev Python Web Developer package for Ubuntu that has been updated for compatibility with the recently released Ubuntu v9.10 Karmic Koala .

Version 2.6 (updated to the recently released 2.6.4) is the default Python environment in Karmic.   For compatibility and flexibility pywebdev also includes complete environments for Python versions 2.4 and 2.5.

A small number of packages have changed since the v9.04 release:

Packages Added in v9.10
=========================
libevent-1.4-2
libevent-dev
vim-gnome
vim-gtk
vim-nox

Packages Removed in v9.10
=========================
linux-headers-server
libevent1
pypy
pypy-dev
python-xml
python-libgmail
zope3
zope-common
vim-python

Strange Loop Conference

How did I ever miss attending this (Strange Loop) conference ?

There is even “Strange Loop” swag available.

Maybe next year.

Gall and Hofstadter – two Laws worth learning

Today I ran across this blog post that references two of my favorite “laws”, namely Gall’s Law and Hofstadter’s Law.

The posting is a commentary of the importance of simplicity and resonates with the idea that “creativity is the elimination of options”.

I guess I should mention that Mr. Hofstadter is the source of inspiration for the name of my blog “(I am) Strangely Looping”.

His insightful 2007 book is a tour-de-force of thought-provoking ideas.

John McCarthy Interview

Today I listened to Guy Steele interviewing John McCarthy on the history of Lisp.

For me the most most interesting part of the interview is the continued reference to how a proper representation of an abstract syntax was the most important aspect of a programming language. He discusses how having multiple concrete notations that map to a single abstract syntax may be desirable.

I also found interesting that at the time he considered dynamically typing (in Lisp) to be a bug and not a feature.

pywebdev for Ubuntu v9.04 released

I’ve posted a release of the pywebdev Python Web Developer package for Ubuntu update for the soon to be released v9.04-Jaunty Jackalope.

Version 2.6 (updated to the recently released 2.6.2) is the default Python environment in Ubuntu v9.04.   For compatibility and flexibility pywebdev also includes complete environments for Python versions 2.4 and 2.5.

A small number of packages have changed since the v8.10 release:

Packages Added in v9.04
=========================
python2.6
python2.6-dev
python2.6-examples
python2.6-minimal
python2.6-doc
python-cherrypy3
python-sphinx 
libapache2-mod-python-doc
pypy
pypy-dev
python-django-lint
python-git

Packages Removed in v9.04
=========================
python-urljr

Tim Bray on the Future of the Web

An interesting interview with Tim Bray on The Future of the Web.

The topics covered are fairly wide ranging with the more interesting questions and answers in the last two thirds of the interview.

One of my favorite web frameworks Django is mentioned favorably several times.

I completely agree with his position regarding REST/WOA as being the architectural pattern that matters today.

On the topic of cloud computing Mr. Bray talks about the alignment of agile methods, open source, and cloud computing working to deliver “monetization at the point of value”. This seems to be a recurring theme.

He poses three questions concerning adoption of the cloud computing.

1. What is the right level of abstraction for the cloud?
2. How can one avoid vendor lock-in?
3. How can one ensure security is handled appropriately?

Noting that the economics of cloud computing are compelling but the above questions need to be addressed.

His comments about enterprise adoption of what is currently today’s startup technology platforms is also interesting.

Being a Software Curator

Very interesting presentation by Jason Fried of 37Signals on software design.

He begins by talking about how software is different from the physical world and outlines the following concepts:

Nice things about software development.

• Low cost to change.
• No physical constraints.
• Can be created anywhere, no location dependency.

But a significant disadvantage that he describes is that you don’t have the same type of feedback loop as physical objects do. This means that bad design in the physical world is often “obvious” and bad design in the software world may not be quite as obvious.

He discusses the notion that good design is as much about making the right decision about what gets left out as what gets put in and describes the process as being a good Software Curator.

You must make your software a museum of careful decisions. You must make it a collection and not a warehouse.

He stresses the notion that you need to remember that you’re building for a group of users and not just a small (but vocal) minority.

“Bloat” is identified as a condition that once reached is irreversible and that you are better off starting over with a new product.

Some of what he is referring to has also been called The Second System Effect first coined by Mr. Brooks.

Next he mentions is the need to translate a customer’s request from what they are literally saying into what they are trying to say or intending to say.

I love the part in the Q&A that follows the presentation where he describes how it is easy to request a feature but hard to actually build things and that you should tell people who aren’t happy with your decision to not include a feature to try to build it themselves. I absolutely agree with his argument about the need to attach costs to requests.

So in order to be successful he argues that you may need to say “no” more frequently than you say “yes”.

Steve Jobs is mentioned as the ultimate curator in the industry today.

The philosophy expressed in this talk has a great deal in common with John Gruber’s Auteur Theory of Design a.k.a. Why Bad Taste Rules in Business talk. Mr Gruber’s talk is recommended viewing for anyone interested in this topic.

Note: Found at Trev’s Blog.