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Using Java with Assembly

Stephen Downey — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 10:38:34 +0000

I came across this article from java.net about how to invoke a JVM from Assembly! I was luck enough to not have to work with Assembly in college but anyone I have ever talked to about it said it was pretty painful to work with. You are probably wondering the same I was: Why use Java with Assembly this is what the author, Biswajit Sarkar, has to say

JNI is essential to the implementation of Java, since the JVM needs to interact with the native platform to implement some of its functionality. Apart from that, however, use of Java classes can often be an attractive supplement to applications written in other languages, as Java offers a wide selection of APIs that makes implementation of advanced functions very simple.

Here is the full article.

AJAX process definition on Client Side

Stephen Downey — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 11:53:11 +0000

I came across an interesting article by Masayuki Otoshi via Java World that discusses how to execute process definitions on the client side rather than the server side. This can come into play when making AJAX calls. As AJAX is Asynchronous, it is not possible to predict the order that your callback methods will be called in. Masayuki uses J-SOFA (Java/JavaScript Services Orchestration for Actions) to overcome this.

I haven't come across J-SOFA before but it looks like it might be worth looking at for situations where the order of callback methods is important.

So what are Code Reviews?

Stephen Downey — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 09:43:27 +0000

I became interested in code reviews while working with Accenture Ireland. As part of my role I was responsible for introducing code reviews into the project and insuring that they took place. It was amazing to see the difference a 15 minute discussion of a piece of code or a design document could improve the overall quality of the project. As more people are aware of the design for an early stage. It also serves to educate more junior developers on the team. Srivaths Sankaran presents a good overview of code reviews in this article. It will give you a good background in to why we perform Code reviews and the many aspect of a code review. He concludes his article by saying:

…..You can conduct thorough code reviews without succumbing to time pressures. Did you know that more than 60 percent of the defects can be captured by effective use of peer reviews (c.f., Boehm and Basili's Software Defect Reduction Top 10 List )? With a judicious combination of automation, interactive tools, and risk-based evaluation, you can reap the benefits of early problem detection…..

One piece of advice I would say is to remember that the primary goal of Code reviews is to improve quality and educate developers. It is not a witch hunt!