Dr. Dobb's Journal - February 2008 - (Page 12)

d02devdiary_p3ma 12/7/07 2:59 PM Page 12 Developer Diaries edited by Michael Swaine Total Eclipse Alanna Zito Employer: IBM Job: Software Developer DDJ: What’s your job at IBM? AZ: I’m a software developer for the Rational Systems Delivery Platform. I work on tools for modeling and real-time systems development. DDJ: What do you like about your job? AZ: I’m working on the first release of a product, so I’ve gotten to see it being developed almost from the very beginning; it’s been really neat to see it go from where we started out to now, when everything’s starting to come together. DDJ: What do you find challenging about your job? AZ: Working in a team environment always presents some challenges; keeping up good communication within our team and with other teams is very important. DDJ: What have you found that makes your job easier? AZ: We use an Eclipse-based IDE for development, and learning all the tricks and features that Eclipse has to offer, especially in terms of organizing and searching through large amounts of code, has definitely made my life as a developer much easier. Life After Programming Grant Lammi Employer: Seapine Software Job: Technology Evangelist DDJ: Where do you work? GL: I’ve been at Seapine Software for about the last six years. DDJ: What’s your job there? GL: I’m the Technology Evangelist. That’s a fancy way of saying that I do a great deal of writing, evaluate new tools and technology, and help set product direction. In my previous life I was a developer, so sometimes I even sneak in some coding. DDJ: What do you like about your job? GL: I like that it sits between our development organization and our business organization. That means I get to see the whole picture all they way from the sales initiatives to the deep down technical issues. It also provides variety—I could be going over advertisement copy one minute and answering technical questions the next. DDJ: What do you find challenging about your job? GL: Making sure I get all the things done for all the people I deal with is probably my biggest challenge. There’s also a lot of self-imposed pressure to make sure that all my decisions are good ones since they could impact all areas of the organization. DDJ: What have you found that makes your job easier? GL: A couple things: First,I lean heavily on search technology, whether it be Google, Spotlight, or Quicksilver. This way I don’t have to worry about where I put things. Second, on my to-do list I always try having the very next action I need to do listed out for all my projects. Both of these things help take away the stress and let me be productive. DDJ: What’s your hobby? GL: I’m on a soccer team and I like to play pick-up basketball, although I don’t expect the NBA to call anytime soon. Dr. Dobb’s Journal l www.ddj.com l February 2008 If the Shoe Fits Joe Ponczak Employer: Codign Software and Artifact Software Job: Cofounder, Product Director DDJ: Where do you work? JP: I work for Codign Software and Artifact Software, both located in Maryland. DDJ: What’s your job there? JP: For Codign, I am a cofounder, the evangelist, blogger, a developer, a test engineer, sales person, web developer, SEO manager, marketing expert, and bottle cleaner. For Artifact, I am their Product Director, responsible for product direction, customer interaction, technical marketing and community development. DDJ: What do you like about your jobs? JP: Both jobs are fantastic and keep me challenged. I love most interacting with people, learning from them, and designing solutions that make their lives easier. DDJ: What do you find challenging about them? JP: Time management. With so much activity going on, it is easy to get lost in the weeds. DDJ: What have you found that makes your work easier? JP: That’s easy—a loving and supportive wife, my children’s laughter, my Mac, and my running shoes. 12 http://www.ddj.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Dr. Dobb's Journal - February 2008

Dr. Dobb's Journal - February 2008 Contents Hmmmm Alia Vox Developer Diaries Developer’s Notebook South American Software Development Conversations Inside Visual Studio 2008 BibPort: Creating Bibliographic References Continuous LINQ The ZK Framework Static Testing C++ Code The Agile Edge Effective Concurrency Swaine’s Flames

Dr. Dobb's Journal - February 2008

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