Niklaus Wirth: Geek of the Week
by Richard Morris | 02 July 2009
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1 comment | 
It is difficult to begin to estimate the huge extent of the contribution that Niklaus Wirth has made to IT as it exists today. Although now retired for ten years, he remains a abiding influence on the design of computer languages. It is likely that the first structured computer language you ever learned was written by him. He still has fascinating views on contemporary software trends, as Richard Morris found out when he spoke to him.
How to Recognise Different Types of Trees from Quite a Long Way Away
by Roger Hart | 30 June 2009
As I see it, ... there are three distinct establishments, each with their own culture, and all doing more or less the same thing. Information Design, Technical Communications, and Usability all look like different models of the the same machine. The machine produces user-optimised information.
The Fall and Rise of Log Shipping
by Tony Davis | 25 June 2009
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When Database Mirroring introduced in SQL Server 2005, it seemed reasonable to assume that log shipping would gradually go out of fashion. However, DBAs have stuck with log shipping for good reasons that were un-guessed at by the pundits, but does it have a long-term future as a high-availability strategy?
Expecting the Worst
by Larry Gonick | 23 June 2009
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Optimists are often disappointed
The Exceptional DBA - A Developer's Perspective
by Laila | 22 June 2009
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What makes an exceptional DBA? It depends on who you ask. Do developers see DBAs as merely providing a service in supporting a database whose schema is provided by the developers? It would be great to get your views. If you work with a DBA that offers your development team an exceptional level of support, then why not nominate him, or her, for the Exceptional DBA Award
To Boldly Ask IT for Development Work
by Phil Factor | 22 June 2009
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Phil has always been mystified by the way that, in Science-Fiction films, the crew of space-ships are able to reprogram their ships' computers in order to respond to emergencies, needing no more than a brief klip...klop...klip on the keyboard to effect a huge software change. A life in IT has seemed so different, and so he wonders if there a more realistic way that one might imagine IT's contribution to Space adventures
Avoiding the EAV of Destruction
by Joe Celko | 18 June 2009
| 7 comments | 
A forum posting, from someone who wanted a better solution to the common problem of handling global settings in a database, leads Joe Celko into a fascinating discussion of the ramifications of the various solutions.
Understanding Garbage Collection in .NET
by Andrew Hunter | 17 June 2009
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Once you understand how .NET's garbage collector works, then the reasons for some of the more mysterious problems that can hit a .NET application become much clearer. NET may have promised the end to explicit memory management, but it is still necessary to profile the usage of memory when you're developing .NET applications if you wish to avoid memory-related errors and some performance issues.
Craig Newmark: Geek of the Week
by Richard Morris | 15 June 2009
| 1 comment | Occasionally, readers of Simple-Talk will ask quizzically if the 'Geek of the Week' that the editors have chosen really is a true 'geek'. Nobody could ever ask that about Craig Newmark, the founder of the famous website 'CraigsList'. The site is uncompromisingly geeky in attitude, spartan in appearance but immensely popular, and supported by an army of enthusiasts. One can say exactly the same about the admirable Craig Newmark himself.
Brad's Sure Guide to Indexes
by Brad McGehee | 11 June 2009
| 15 comments | 
In order to best appreciate the reasons for, or importance of, the various administrative tasks that are needed for indexes, it is a good idea to take a look at how the various types of indexes work. Who better to help with a clear explanation for this than Brad McGehee?