Bugzilla - That's Godzilla's Evil Twin, Right?

Sunday 22nd March 2009

Wrong!

It is not even the benevolent, albeit giant, moth which occasionally appeared in Japanese monster movies.  That was Mothra, or "Mosura" in Japanese.  Bugzilla does, however, represent a serious threat, but only if you happen to be a software bug.  At the top of its home page at http://www.bugzilla.org, there is a shining example of the "ABC" rule for describing a software product.  This rule, which sadly is all too often ignored, states that such a description should be

A - Accurate

B - Brief

C - Clear

After all, there is normally ample room later on in the leaflet/brochure/webpage etc for detailed explanations of precisly what the product concerned actually does and why it is "The best thing since sliced bread" or whatever.

In this case, the description reads simply "Bugzilla is server software designed to help you manage software development".  It is difficult to imagine a more "accurate, brief and clear" description for Bugzilla.  There is, of course, a link to another page, which provides in-depth information for those who require it.

A technical definition of Bugzilla would be that it is a "Defect Tracking System" or, more colloquially, a "Bug Tracking System".  It is developed by the Mozilla Foundation, which is also responsible for the superb web browser Firefox.  Indeed, the Mozilla Foundation itself uses Bugzilla as their bug tracking system - just visit https://bugzilla.org to see it.  Like Firefox, Bugzilla is entirely open-source, which means that anyone may readily obtain and even modify the source code, if they so desire.  It is also used by a large number of commercial companies throughout the world, including such familiar names as Alcatel, NASA and Siemens, as well as a host of less well-known names.

Although it is most frequently installed onto Unix/Linux systems, an open-source version for Windows is available.  Note, however, that when questions about how to install Bugzilla on Windows are posted at the Bugzilla Forums, the responses are usually along the lines of "Don't bother, mate - stick it on a Linux box instead and noone will know the difference!".  Although this may seem strange, it is absolutely correct, because of the way Bugzilla works.  Since it presents itself in effect as a web site, it is accessed by using a web browser.  One of the reasons for the universal popularity of the World Wide Web is that it uses the HTTP protocol, since the use of this protocol ensures that the actual operating system supporting the browser is irrelevant to the web site server and vice versa.  Any browser and any operating system, therefore, may be used to access Bugzilla.

Even the humblest (i.e. cheapest) hardware available today is more than powerful enough to run Linux, as is practically any other hardware less than about five years old.  Since almost all Linux distributions are available as free downloads, as is Bugzilla itself, "Bugzilla on Linux" is a very attractive option to many people.  For those who prefer not to compile the source code themselves, installable packages are available in the usual formats such as .RPM and .DEB etc.  for all the major Linux distributions as free downloads.  Should it really be considered necessary to install Bugzilla on a Windows box, commercial (i.e. non-free) packages are available. 

Since Bugzilla is free, the phrase "Try before you buy" is hardly appropriate.  Nevertheless, there is just such an opportunity at http://landfill.bugzilla.org, which offers a choice of several on-line demonstration systems.

Is A Vendor-specific Certification Worthwhile?

Sunday 15th March 2009

Surely employers should accept that "being able to do the job" is enough?

When it comes to marketing expertise, Microsoft is probably without parallel in modern times, but occasionally even the mighty Microsoft can get it spectacularly wrong and "hit the nail squarely on the sharp end".  Remember the slogan "The Wow is now!", which they used for Vista?  Yeuch!  Memorable, yes - but for all the wrong reasons.  At least it was not too much worse than the product.....

However, Microsoft can do it right and they fully deserve the credit when they do so.  Having seen the importance being attached in the marketplace to the vendor-specific certifications from such well-respected companies as Cisco, Microsoft decided that they, too, must make such certifications available.  As a result, one may now become a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA), Microsoft Certified Technical Specialist (MCTS) or various others.  The financial value attached to any of the vendor-specific certifications by employers is proportional to the difficulty required to achieve it.  In consequence, the Cisco Certified Internet Expert (CCIE), Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) and Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certifications tend to be more highly regarded than the equivalent level of Microsoft certifications.  Naturally, the firms which offer training are keen to emphasise how quickly their services will enable candidates to achieve the certification concerned and the benefits which will, hopefully, accrue to them as a result.  Equally naturally, the more responsible vendors such as Cisco constantly endeavour to preserve the real-life value of their certifications.  To do this, they set their examinations in such a way that successful candidates require a practical, hands-on knowledge of the subject concerned.  Since the "boot camp" brigade by definition have only a strictly limited amount of time available to them, they necessarily have to concentrate their efforts on "How to pass the examination" rather than "How to gain practical, hands-on knowledge".  This is entirely appropriate for those candidates who already have considerable practical experience, but sadly places on such courses are often taken up by candidates who see the certification as a "route to riches", without the associated effort of obtaining the practical experience.  The constant competition between the vendors and the boot camps is rather like that on the African savannah between the gazelles and the cheetahs.  If the cheetahs start catching too many gazelles, the gazelles will become more fleet-footed and soon the natural balance will be restored.

One of the posters Microsoft distributed in order to publicise their certification program carried a picture of a suitably geekish-looking techie, next to the slogan "How they know you know".  This time, Microsoft "hit the nail squarely on the head".  A well-regarded certification provides proof that the holders really are as good as they claim to be and are not merely bragging about their abilities.               

Dark Matter May Or May Not Exist In The Physical Universe, But It Certainly Does Exist On The Internet

Sunday 8th March 2009

Whether or not it exists in the physical universe is still a matter of some debate, of course, but what is "Dark Matter" on the Internet anyway?

Web site addresses usually have the prefix "http://www.".  However, other prefixes are used on the Internet, for addresses which are not those of web sites.  One of the most useful is the "ftp://" prefix, used by servers which support File Transfer Protocol.  Far from being a "Jack of all trades", this specialist protocol is designed solely to transfer files from one computer to another with absolute accuracy.  As such, browsing to an FTP address will not bring up an attractive, friendly web-style page.  Instead, a somewhat unfriendly plain screen will be shown, asking only for a login username and password.  Failure to provide a valid username and password will result in an error message, but no indication as to how a valid login may be achieved.  Fortunately, many FTP servers will accept the username "Anonymous" with any email address, real or otherwise, provided that their contents are publicly available.

"Google" has now entered the vocabulary as a generic term for search engines in much the same way as "Hoover" is used as a generic term for all vacuum cleaners, whether or not they are actually made by the Hoover company.  Similarly, "The Web" is often used synonymously with "The Internet", although in reality web sites form only part of the wider Internet.  Whilst it enjoys a deservedly excellent reputation as a search engine, it is important to remember that even Google does not pretend to index every web site, let alone every address in the entire Internet. 

As a consequence, Google does not know about everything on the Internet, contrary to the widely-held belief.  Indeed, it does not even know about the whole Web, although this is more a result of the massive rate at which web sites are being added and updated rather than a weakness within Google itself.

Since Google necessariily concentrates its resources on Web sites and devotes a lesser amount of attention to indexing FTP servers, it knows surprisingly little about the wealth of files they contain - this vast treasure is the "Dark Matter" on the Internet.  From an ISO image of a complete operating system to MP3-format music by obscure performers, the range and quantity of files available for download is almost unimaginable.  The problem is in locating the required files without Google's help.  What better than a specialist search engine for a specialist protocol?  This is where http://www.gegereka.com excels.  Whilst its interface is not quite as minimalist as Google's, it is very clear, uncluttered and advertisement-free.  In order to outsmart automated, rather than human, searchers, Gegereka requires the user to provide an email address (which need not be genuine) and to complete a "CAPTCHA" - the familiar request for the user to copy in some random characters displayed in an intentionally-obscured format.       

Although modern browsers can support FTP, it is usally best to use one of the free graphical FTP clients designed for the purpose, such as CoreFTP or FireFTP.  These clients typically have an interface which is intentionally similar to that of Windows Explorer, thus making it both familiar and easy-to-use.  Naturally, simlar free graphical clients are readily available for Linux.  For those with masochistic tendencies, both Windows and Linux have a command-line FTP client built-in as standard - to use it, merely open a Command Prompt, type "ftp" and press the ENTER key.  An "ftp>" prompt, complete with flashing cursor, will immediately appear.  Typing a question mark and pressing the ENTER key will display the rather limited range of commands available.  To exit, type "quit" and press the ENTER key.  Since the command-line is somewhat daunting to many people, such clients are generally used only when no graphical client is available, or when scripting is required to achieve a complex or repetitive sequence of operations.  However, the better graphical clients also allow scripting, while some can even generate a human-editable script by logging keystrokes, rather like the "Learn" macro generation function in Microsoft Excel. 

Will 2009 Be "The Year Of The Netbook"?

Sunday 1st March 2009

Judging by the number of manufacturers, it certainly looks that way.

Gillette famously invented the marketing ploy of setting a below-cost selling price for their razors, then recouping the difference (and more besides!) from the subsequent purchases of the blades required to fit it.  Mobile phone operators use exactly the same technique, with considerable success, by recouping the cost of the "free" phone from the cost of the contract and the calls, texts etc which the user makes.  Mobile phones have become ever more sophisticated, while laptops have become ever lighter and more portable.  Purely on the grounds of physical size, it is difficult to imaginehow either device could make a satisfactory alternative to the other.  After all, a mobile phone keypad is adequate for the condensed form of words used in "text talk", but not for "real" input.  Equally, their small screens are suitable for viewing emails or limited web surfing, but just imagine using one to work on a spreadsheet....!  A laptop, on the other hand, does not usually fit too well in a pocket - and it has a far shorter battery life than a mobile phone.

Unfortunately for the mobile phone companies, even the cheapest traditional laptops were always too expensive for the "razor blade" marketing model.  All this changed when Asus released their "Netbook", quickly followed by the other major manufacturers.  A Netbook looks similar to a very small, almost a toy, laptop.  However, Asus' masterstroke was not to miniaturise the components in order to reduce the size, but instead to scale down the entire device and its functions.  They realised that, if the device had a screen only 9" or 10" across, it would be ideal for web surfing, emails and light wordprocessing duties.  Such a size would also allow for a reasonably-sized keyboard.  Coupling the relatively small display with a low-power CPU such as Intel's Atom meant that battery life would be excellent.  The "icing on the cake" was to use an open-source operating system and office application suite, courtesy of Linux and Open Office, thus simultaneously reducing costs as well as providing acceptable performance from a very humble CPU.  Its inability to run Microsoft Office was unimportant, since Open Office would be perfectly adequate for most of the intended market.

At last, here was a product upon which the mobile operators could seize and, at least initially, demand outstripped supply.  There are now many different manufacturers of netbooks, of varying quality.  Their popularity grows month-by-month and with it there is downward pressure on pricing.  The accompanying "race to the bottom" is now well underway, only partly aided by the global economic situation.