Processing XML and X12 messages is a struggle. You have a number of use cases (I listed a bunch of features in Synchronicity and Document Object Models ). These can be tackled a number of ways.

What spoils me is the Object Relational Mapping (ORM) in SQLAlchemy and the Django ORM …

Message-oriented applications involve an interface defined around messages (or documents). I've been working on applications that involve a fair amount of manipulation of XML and X12. Recently I started yet another, and started to recognize the essential design patterns.

There are four use cases. The first two use cases define …

Some recent thoughts on using Python, directly, as configuration file syntax. In a way, a configuration is a highly-specialized Domain Specific Language focused on the application's problem domain. The point is to leverage syntax we already have to create meaningful configuration files.

"Python is sometimes a good use for a …

See Michael Hugos "Think about screens and the data on them to simplify system development " for some helpful insight on what an "application" really is -- access to data. Simple transparency is lifted up as a critical value for software.

I liked the "If you don't believe it could be this …

Here are a few more Passive-Aggressive argument techniques that can derail a project. Rather than provide an alternative or improvement, this passive kind of aggression raises things which are "potential" problems or issues. Things which serve only to raise doubts.

This approach plays into the hands of risk-averse management. It …

This is a kind of "case study" post. It happens -- frequently -- that I wind up in a situation similar to this one. Usually it involves large, complex pieces of software and lots of people with strongly-held opinions. I'm usually brought in toward the end, and have to discover the parts …

Here's one recent example of a significant bug.

The code said A is not NULL OrElse A != " ", which doesn't do anything useful. If A has non-NULL data, this is true. The second part of the clause (A != " ") is only evaluated if A is NULL. If A is NULL, no other …

See GoDaddy Silences Police Watchdog Site RateMyCop.com . As of 3/12/08, GoDaddy won't comment.

So far, they didn't produce a takedown notice, or even notify the owner. So I guess this means GoDaddy is not a good choice for hosting or Domain Name registration. The good news is …

Here's the lead-off quote

Sigh. The Pakistan story is only “insecurity” in the broadest, vaguest sense of “secure”. It …

See Martin Fowler's essay on Technical Debt . Also see Steve McConnell's thoughts <http://blogs.construx.com/blogs/stevemcc/archive/2007/11/01/technical-debt-2.aspx.

We can use Agile techniques to get things done ASAP and ACAP (As Soon As Possible and As Cheap As Possible). However, we still need to …