I recently started over from scratch on a shiny new 15" macbook pro. What I didn't realize is how many tools I've accumulated on the old machine. While downloading 4 separate tools at once, I thought it would be a good time to track my favorites for posterity's sake (and to help my friend Tim who is in a similar scenario).
Adium - IM client of choice
Quicksilver - I have trouble interfacing with my mac without it
TweetDeck - My favorite twitter client
Things - My method for Getting Things Done
Isolator - Tool for improving focus
TextMate - Great lightweight editor
SpringSource Tool Suite - Great heavyweight editor
Tomcat - Java webserver
MySQL - Powerful open source database
Sequel - Very nice client for SQL
Skype - You know
JumpCut - Better copying tool
SuperDuper - Backups that work
Cyberduck - FTP, webDAV, Cloud Client
Dropbox - Ass kicking Cloud storage
iTerm - My preferred terminal client
Evernote - Quick note taking
VMWare Fusion - Better than Parallels IMHO
And that's about it. I'll try to update as I remember others, but these are the tools that I really missed in the first two days of using my new mac.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
5 Reasons I Work at Pillar Technology
People
I've been aware of Pillar Technology for some time and I thought that they had some good people here and there, but I've been astounded by the amount of talent that I've had the pleasure of working with in my short time here. Up and down the organization I've met elite software developers, agile coaches, team leaders, and many others who excel at what they do. One of our .NET leaders informed me that his rate for recommending new hires is at about 8%. 92% of the candidates he interviews are not at the level needed to work for Pillar. If, like me, you want to elevate your career, go work with a team of people that you can learn from.
Process
I've contended for some time that Agile and Lean software development techniques will be more common than Waterfall within the next 5 years for some very simple reasons. Agile techniques result in working systems, with fewer defects, delivered faster, and with a lower total cost of ownership than the alternatives. We are already starting to see a backlash against some of the short term, cheap construction solutions that have proven time and again to be less efficient and more expensive than previously thought. As more and more companies begin adopting Agile as a cure to their failing projects, look for consulting companies like Pillar that are leaders in this space to grow exponentially.
Collaboration
In the first week of working at Pillar, I've had the pleasure of offering my ideas on where we could take this company to our CEO, COO, multiple VPs, my peers, my team, my wife, my kids, and everyone else who will listen.I was a part of no less than 4 meetings in the first week focused on taking our company to the next level. Ideas at Pillar are solicited, not criticized. True openness and collaboration in an organization is hard to come by, but it is crucial for long term, strategic growth.
Focus
The companies that have grown in this economy have shared a few traits. One of them is to know what you are good at, and you focus on taking that to market better than anyone else. Pillar is extremely good at applying elite software development teams using Agile methodologies, to solve problems. Everything that we do here in the next 10 years will be in line with that focus. Companies that attempt to react to every opportunity presented to them have historically diluted their talent and weakened their position in the market place.
No Boundaries
Applying the core capability referenced above to as broad a population as you can has been a pattern of success for organizations for well over a century. Nike didn't start out by thinking they could sell tennis shoes to a few high schools in Oregon. Microsoft was focused on delivering computers to every home in the world at a time when the market was really only medium or large businesses. Pillar is at a point where the company is transforming from a regional focus to a national focus and I have every confidence we'll be successful. Sit tight, it may not be that long until we're international.
I've been aware of Pillar Technology for some time and I thought that they had some good people here and there, but I've been astounded by the amount of talent that I've had the pleasure of working with in my short time here. Up and down the organization I've met elite software developers, agile coaches, team leaders, and many others who excel at what they do. One of our .NET leaders informed me that his rate for recommending new hires is at about 8%. 92% of the candidates he interviews are not at the level needed to work for Pillar. If, like me, you want to elevate your career, go work with a team of people that you can learn from.
Process
I've contended for some time that Agile and Lean software development techniques will be more common than Waterfall within the next 5 years for some very simple reasons. Agile techniques result in working systems, with fewer defects, delivered faster, and with a lower total cost of ownership than the alternatives. We are already starting to see a backlash against some of the short term, cheap construction solutions that have proven time and again to be less efficient and more expensive than previously thought. As more and more companies begin adopting Agile as a cure to their failing projects, look for consulting companies like Pillar that are leaders in this space to grow exponentially.
Collaboration
In the first week of working at Pillar, I've had the pleasure of offering my ideas on where we could take this company to our CEO, COO, multiple VPs, my peers, my team, my wife, my kids, and everyone else who will listen.I was a part of no less than 4 meetings in the first week focused on taking our company to the next level. Ideas at Pillar are solicited, not criticized. True openness and collaboration in an organization is hard to come by, but it is crucial for long term, strategic growth.
Focus
The companies that have grown in this economy have shared a few traits. One of them is to know what you are good at, and you focus on taking that to market better than anyone else. Pillar is extremely good at applying elite software development teams using Agile methodologies, to solve problems. Everything that we do here in the next 10 years will be in line with that focus. Companies that attempt to react to every opportunity presented to them have historically diluted their talent and weakened their position in the market place.
No Boundaries
Applying the core capability referenced above to as broad a population as you can has been a pattern of success for organizations for well over a century. Nike didn't start out by thinking they could sell tennis shoes to a few high schools in Oregon. Microsoft was focused on delivering computers to every home in the world at a time when the market was really only medium or large businesses. Pillar is at a point where the company is transforming from a regional focus to a national focus and I have every confidence we'll be successful. Sit tight, it may not be that long until we're international.
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