Project Idea #2 - Inventory tracking application

A local non-profit has a need to be able to accurately track it's inventory. They lend their assets out to people in the community and they would like to be able to easily view what is currently in their possession as well as what is loaned out and to whom the item is loaned to. In addition, they would like to store the borrowers personal information in order to ensure total accountability of all items. 

Currently, this process is managed on several excel spreadsheets. While the process works, it is very easy to lose track of items. The result is that many items are not returned and they are unable to track who last borrowed that item. 

The system will include a way for the agency to update their inventory, input and update all previous and new users personal information, as well as provide a reporting function that informs the user when an item has been out for a period of time set by the agency at the time of transaction. This will be a web based system that will allow all members of the agency to view their current inventory as well as have automated functions informing them of items past it's return date. 

This system, if used properly, will reduce the agency's losses as well as reduce man-hours spent tracking their inventory. 

Project Idea #1 - SIlent auction system for non-profit charity events

As I prepare to take on a volunteer programming project, my first thought is to create a system or product that would benefit a local non-profit agency. While there are many areas in my life where a new system could benefit me directly, I think it's important to reach out and help those who are unable to create, or pay for someone to create, a system for themselves. 

My mother works for a local non-profit agency called Parents And Children Together. They provide family and child services for those who are in need. On occasion, the agency hosts a silent auction where they auction donated items and services. These items are donated from various sources and are sold to the attendees of the silent auction. 

Currently, the agency uses multiple spreadsheets to track donated items and services as well as those who donated them. During the auction, bids are placed manually for each item with the bidder writing their bid down on a piece of paper. Once the auctioning closes, all papers are gathered and the winners are input into another spreadsheet which is then posted on the wall.

While the current system in place is functional, I believe that much of this can tracked much more efficiently. Creating a database to store donors, bidders, items, prices, and payments will give the agency a way to better access this information in a way that is helpful to all stakeholders. In addition, adding a front end system that would make data entry and reporting quicker and easier would greatly benefit the organization. If possible, creating an interface where bidders can easily enter their bids into a computer system would make the process much more streamlined and accurate. 

Most of this project is fairly "easy" in terms of creating the database to store the data. The challenge is creating an application that is easy for the agency to operate. The most difficult part of this system will be to create an efficient and non-intrusive/non-technical interface for bidders to enter their bids. 

The LoFi Approach

In the process of developing SaaS applications, we must always consider the end users experience. In fact, the user interface (UI) is the most important aspect when it comes to the usability of the application. Many times, we as programmers, are quick to think of the backend design of the application with little thought, in the initial planning phases, on the UI aspect of the design. 

The textbook "Engineering Long-Lasting Software" discusses behavior driven design (BDD) through the use of user stories. The concept is to design the application based on the users explanation of their processes and what they would like to see in the developed product. This process is implemented before and during development to reduce the chances of miscommunication. 

A critical element in the BDD process is to first identify what the customer expects to see in the application. In my personal experience, I have always done complex mock-ups and prototypes of software to present to the customer. These "prototypes" were always coded (in the simplest means possible). According to the text, this is overkill since: 

"Building software prototypes of UI can intimidate stakeholders from suggesting improvements to the UI. That is, software prototypes have just the opposite characteristics of what we need at this early point of the design."

Instead of these complex prototypes, we should take the "LoFi" approach. This approach involves paper-and-pencil mockup drawings of the UI. This approach is much less "permanent" and allows the customer to feel more comfortable with suggesting changes and modifying the application to meet their needs. In addition, this prevents programmers from wasting man-hours on developing prototypes that, in all likelihood, will be heavily modified or even discarded. 

This is a huge revelation for me as it is a practical approach toward developing a product. It's really a win-win situation for both the programmer as well as the customer. I'll definitely try to use this approach with my next project. That is, if my supervisors can get over their need to have everything "pretty and presentable". 

Ruby on Rails - Fad or Here to Stay?

Ruby on Rails, or Rails for short, is a web-application framework for the Ruby programming language. Since it's introduction in 2005, it has become extremely popular due to its ease of use and rapid development principles. 

The info-graphic shown above illustrates the growth in popularity of Ruby On Rails. Most notable on the info-graphicis the increase in usage over the past year as well as the increasing demand for developers with Ruby on Rails skills. 

While these statistics can't tell the whole story, it appears as though Ruby on Rails has become very largely used and adapted. At this time, there are over 230 thousand websites that have been built using Ruby on Rails including sites such as GitHub, Living Social, as well as Hulu.

The increase in demand for the Ruby on Rails skill-set implies the increasing popularity of the framework in the corporate environment. It appears, at least for now, that Ruby on Rails has gained a strong foothold in the marketplace. It's ease of use as well as the capability of producing products at a rapid pace makes a strong case for organizations to adopt this technology.

CSS Awesomeness!!

Admittedly, up until taking a class focusing on web software, I have never had much of an interest in any web development. I've maintained and assisted in the development of several web applications, but I have never truly immersed myself in "web development". For work, I maintain several simple websites that display various query results from a database I maintain. While they are functional, noting that I put very little effort into the presentation of this material, they are also very unsightly ugly. Why, you ask? It's because I never moved beyond the simple HTML language to incorporate CSS.

CSS is a simple mechanism that allows a developer to add a style and theme to a webpage or web document. It separates itself content from design which allows HTML to focus solely on processing the markup of the content and not layout and design. CSS allows a developer to utilize a standardized layout and design across multiple webpages without the fuss of formatting each page to mimic the theme and look of another. Simply put, it makes it much easier to make your sites more presentable and uniform.

I'm definitely interested in learning more about CSS. After looking over many of my favorite sites, I realize that mastering CSS is one key to building some outstanding websites. Here are some beginner links for anyone who may be interested in this as well:

http://www.w3schools.com/css/
http://www.csstutorial.net
http://www.echoecho.com/css.htm
http://sixrevisions.com/css/20_websites_learn_master_css/

Enjoy!

SaaS - How it's changed our lives

Software as a service (SaaS) is a revolution in computing that has significantly affected our daily lives. Everyone one of us use some type of SaaS software whether it be facebook, twitter, yelp, or webmail. SaaS has changed the game in terms of how users view and interact with software. Gone are the days where we need to buy the software, install it on our machines, keep our hardware compatible in order to run it, and continually patch it to ensure the security of our machines. With SaaS, most of the time all we need is a web browser and an internet connection.

So no more manually installing software everytime I get a new machine, no more having to carry around an external hard drive with your saved files, and no more worrying about licensing fees. So how does this all work and how is it phasing out the old "locally installed" software approach? 

1. Compatibility and accessibility - SaaS applications are available on any device, any platform, and at any time you need it (provided you have an internet connection). Because it's on the internet, it's easy to find and the learning curve for usage is low. 

2. Lower cost - Most SaaS applications are subscription based, there is a lower investment needed to adopt the application due to  lower hardware, software, and personnel costs. 

3. No upgrade or installation - All SaaS applications are web based and require no patches or upgrades on the customers end. 

This all means that I can access all my social networking sites and information from any computer in the world. In addition, I can store all my files on the cloud and read and edit documents from my phone or on any terminal in the world. I can collaborate with co-workers and peers around the world at any time. In most cases, the only thing I have to worry about it having a platform (any platform) to access the internet. It's all 

In the end, it means lower costs, no compatibility issues, and unlimited scalability. All in all, it seems that SaaS is the way forward for software in the future. I, personally, am more than willing to pay a small subscription fee to have access to a well developed and maintained product that is accessible from anywhere with an internet connection. With the money I save on having to constantly upgrade hardware, I will have the money to pay for the subscriptions and probably have a lot left over. Good deal all around!

Is designing bug free software possible? A look into "Design By Contract" (DBC)

Design by Contract (DbC) is an approach for designing software. According to Eiffel Software, the originators of this method, DbC can be explained as follows:

"DbC is a metaphor on how elements of a software system collaborate with each other, on the basis of mutual obligations andbenefits. The metaphor comes from business life, where a "client" and a "supplier" agree on a "contract" which documents that:

• The supplier must provide a certain product (obligation) and is entitled to expect that the client has paid its fee (benefit).
• The client must pay the fee (obligation) and is entitled to get the product (benefit).
• Both parties must satisfy certain obligations, such as laws and regulations, applying to all contracts."

It is said that utilizing this method guarantees that bugs will be prevented by implementing a system of checks and balances. This method also promotes coding to exacting specifications, providing no more or no less that is necessary. This implies that developers should not try to add more features or functionality into their code than is necessary to accomplish it's original task. In this way, the behavior of all code can be guaranteed, predictable, and consistent. 

Here are the benefits of DbC in a nutshell:

• reliability
• maintainability
• well-documented
• simpler and consistent code

Some drawbacks of DbC:

• requires more diligence on the part of the programmer (= more work)
• may result in performance issues - due to checking conditions at runtime

This all sounds great to me! 

However, while the theory of DbC sounds like an incredible idea, how likely is it that people will adopt and adhere to these concepts.