…Our languages are changing from the static to the dynamic. I can remember when a program was developed as a single, self-contained and monolithic piece of code.

The advent of dynamic libraries allowed us to defer some of the functioning of a program until runtime, but the idea of a program as a single, known entity for which we had detailed knowledge and which didn’t change over the life of the program is still with us.

…the dynamic nature of the Java environment is basic to the functionality of the language, and it allows us to deploy systems that can be changed, upgraded and evolved over time as the requirements of the system change.

…we need to spend more time dealing with faults and exceptions, and less time adding features, which changes the nature of what we do.

…Using the network means we have introduced new ways in which our systems can fail, but it also means we can build redundancy into the system so that the failure of a single piece of hardware need not cause the failure of the overall system, making the whole system more reliable.

…Just as Socrates found that he was the wisest of men because he knew that he didn’t know anything (as opposed to others, who thought they knew something but were wrong), programmers must come to the realization that their knowledge of systems will be more and more Socratic.

Rather than knowing everything, we will know what it is that we do not know.

I really like this article by by Jim Waldo. Food for thought. Not that I don’t already preach this at work.

Along with the Java Web Start changes, there are improvements to the Java Plug-in and its associated Java Runtime Environment (JRE). Prior versions of the JRE required a complete download to install a new version of the runtime environment. The latest version includes a Java Update mechanism that allows the runtime environment to be patched with a partial download.

Check out the rest in this JavaLobby thread.

Unlike during the dot-com boom, jobs can be had in traditional industries that have begun relying more heavily on technology to run operations. These industries include healthcare, retail, automotive and financial services.

Read the rest at Yahoo!.

Out of all the blog ‘ecosystem’ sites out there Blogrolling.com’s top links are very interesting. It turns the whole ‘A list’ on it’s ear.

The site that accompanies The Java Developers Almanac is the greatest Java sample code site around. As such, it’s probably the greatest reference site. I suggest buying the book. This looks like what the Java Cookbook should have been.

Check it out here. I wonder how long it’s going to take for other companies to do similar?

It’s a strange delight to hear yourself mentioned by someone in a different country, using a tool you’ve helped to build.

Check out Patrice Bertrand give a demo of Cofax at the Open Source Content Management Conference held in Zurich Switzerland.

Ahh the new home.

I couldn’t take the old host’s speed any longer, and I’ve heard good things about Kattare. So here I am (along with a set of other sites I manage).

A big thank you to Scott for the help 🙂. You saved the day.

I went the export/import route. If this were a non-personal site, or one which I knew users were linking to individual posts (I know they’re not here except for the hoax I accidently published last month), I would have went with your MySQL suggestion. In anycase, my static content hasn’t link-rotted 🙂

Please check out my previous post.