New England Software Symposium
September 9 - 11, 2011 - Boston, MA
View the event details here ».
Session Descriptions
Peter Bell - Evangelist/hacker for hackNY
Essential Complexity: Developing and maintaining complex software
Some apps are little more than CRUD. The interesting projects are those with essential complexity in the domain. In this presentation we'll show how ideas from Domain Driven Design, Domain Specific Modeling and Domain Specific Languages can be used to more effectively design, refine and maintain the code at the heart of complex applications.
How to Select and Adopt a Technology
What's the point attending a conference unless you do something with the knowledge you gain? In this session we look at practical strategies for selecting new technologies and proven approaches for driving adoption back at the office.
Prerequisite: Frustration that you don't get to use all the cool technologies you learn about at No Fluff.
NoSQL: Getting Started with Neo4j
What is a graph database, why would you use it, and how do you get started? In this session we'll look at the kinds of problems that graph databases can solve and will run through the process of getting started with neo4j
Requirements and Estimating - state of the art
A chance for experience agile developers to learn and share state of the art tips for improving requirements gathering and project estimation.
Prerequisite: Experience working on agile projects
Software Craftsmanship: Positioning, Patterns and Practices
None of us want to think of ourselves as "cowboy coders", but what does it mean to be a software craftsman, and is it a useful distinction? If so, what are some of the best patterns for honing our craft?
David Bock - Principal Consultant, CodeSherpas Inc.
Building Maintainable Javascript with Coffeescript
CoffeeScript is a little language that compiles into JavaScript. Underneath all of those embarrassing braces and semicolons, JavaScript has always had a gorgeous object model at its heart. CoffeeScript is an attempt to expose the good parts of JavaScript in a simple way.
The golden rule of CoffeeScript is: "It's just JavaScript". The code compiles one-to-one into the equivalent JS, and there is no interpretation at runtime. You can use any existing JavaScript library seamlessly (and vice-versa). The compiled output is readable and pretty-printed, passes through JavaScript Lint without warnings, and runs in every JavaScript implementation.
Building Semantic CSS with Compass and SASS
Compass is a tool that can help you build cleaner, better structured, and less error-prone CSS. Semantic CSS is a technique where your CSS vocabulary describes WHAT things are on your page, rather than WHERE they are. Together, this tool and this concept can radically improve the structure of your html.
Maintaining Source Code Quality (The Project Integrity Series)
How many times have you started a new project only to find that several months into it, you have a big ball of code you have to plod through to try to get anything done? Have you ever been the 'new guy' on a project where it seems like the code grew more like weeds and brambles than a well-tended garden? With a few good tools to help analyze the code, we can keep our project from turning into that big ball of mud, and we can salvage a project that is already headed down that path.
Managing Complexity (The Project Integrity Series)
How many times have you started a new project only to find that several months into it, you have a build process that mysteriously fails, a bunch of 'TODO' and 'FIXME' comments in the source, and problems that come and go because "it works on my machine"? Does your project have a little bit of 'folk wisdom' that isn't well-known, but is necessary to get things done? How easily could you recreate your development environment if you got a new machine today?
Metrics for steering your projects to success
There are a lot of things we can measure about our source code, but what about the "project as a whole" and its overall health? Are there ways of measuring the effectiveness of our processes? Are there things we can measure that would point to project automation wins? Is there a way to measure team 'morale'?
Surviving Middle Management
Most good developers eventually have the opportunity to be managers. Whether they call you the "project manager", "Technical Lead", "Lead Developer", or some other classic middle-management title, you become the 'goto' guy between management and developers. You're the guy who is expected to keep the project in-line, track a schedule, and occasionally answer the question "How's it going?", and perhaps still contribute at a technical level. So how do you do that?
Erik Hatcher - co-author of "Lucene in Action"
Introduction to Solr
Apache Solr serves search requests at enterprises and the largest companies around the world. Built on top of the top-notch Apache Lucene library, Solr makes indexing and searching integration into your applications straightforward. This talk will introduce Solr's capabilities with live demonstrations.
Lucene for Solr Developers
You’re Solr powered, and needing to customize its capabilities. Apache Solr is flexibly architected, with practically everything pluggable. Under the hood, Solr is driven by the well-known Apache Lucene. Lucene for Solr Developers will guide you through the various ways in which Solr can be extended, customized, and enhanced with a bit of Lucene API know-how. We’ll delve into improving analysis with custom character mapping, tokenizing, and token filtering extensions; show why and how to implement specialized query parsing, and how to add your own search and update request handling.
Dave Klein - Author of 'Grails: A Quick-Start Guide'
Grails: Bringing Radical Productivity to the JVM Part I
The goal of this hands-on tutorial is to get started and get productive with Grails. We’ll do this by jumping right in and building an application, from design to deployment.
Grails: Bringing Radical Productivity to the JVM Part II
In Part II of this session, we will continue the build out process with the Grails application.
Groovy Hands On Workshop
You've no doubt heard about Groovy before, but if you've never taken a closer look, now is your chance. Groovy is such a natural fit for a Java developer. Just adding a single extra jar to your project can make it so you can't wait to get to work on Monday.
Groovy integrates so well with Java that Dan Woods, of Forbes.com, says that it's a no-brainer for existing Java shops. ( http://bit.ly/hoJ7it ) But don't just take his, or my, word for it; get to know Groovy for yourself. You'll be glad you did.
Howard Lewis Ship - Creator of Apache Tapestry
Applying Patterns: How to Spot Problem Code and What To Do About It
How do you spot bad code? How do you turn it into good code? We'll be looking at code examples from real applications. We'll start by identifying the problem with the code: things like maintainability, clarity, and testability. Then we'll look for ways to improve that code: perhaps introducing base classes, perhaps other refactorings based on Gang of Four Patterns.
Clojure: Towards the Essence of Programming
What is the essence of programming? How close do popular languages such as Java bring you towards that essence? In this session, we'll discuss Clojure, a language for the Java Virtual Machine that builds on a 40+ year history of Lisp: the programming language that's also a programming language toolkit.
Getting Started with Apache Tapestry
Apache Tapestry is a fast, easy to use, high-performance, general purpose web framework. Tapestry eschews heavy XML configuration, base classes, and boilerplate code: instead it embraces convention-over-configuration, letting you build your application from simple, concise POJO (Plain Old Java) page and component classes. Tapestry is laser-focused on giving you maximum bang for your programming buck, and this shows up as a broad range of well-integrated features, including extensive Ajax support. Don't let unfamiliarity get in the way of learning this powerful, friendly tool.
Have Your Cake and Eat It Too: Meta-Programming Techniques for Java
Ever been envious of how easily Python, Ruby and even JavaScript can “meta-program”? It’s like magic: seemingly simple or innocuous code takes over big responsibilities; new methods and behaviors appear out of thin air. Your code, your primary code, stays simple and easy to follow. Now, we know you can do that for scripting languages, but what do we do about Java? With the proper component-focused context, it is possible to emulate many of those same capabilities, by applying a simple set of code transformations at runtime.
Ted Neward - Enterprise, Virtual Machine and Language Wonk
Architectural Kata Workshop
Fred Brooks said, "How do we get great designers? Great designers design, of course." So how do we get great architects? Great architects architect. But architecting a software system is a rare opportunity for the non-architect.
The kata is an ancient tradition, born of the martial arts, designed to give the student the opportunity to practice more than basics in a semi-realistic way. The coding kata, created by Dave Thomas, is an opportunity for the developer to try a language or tool to solve a problem slightly more complex than "Hello world". The architectural kata, like the coding kata, is an opportunity for the student-architect to practice architecting a software system.
Busy Developer's Guide to CouchDB
With the rise of the NoSQL movement, a whole new crop of different ways to store data suddenly became available to the Java developer. Unfortunately,what didn't come with them was an owner's manual. CouchDB, for example, was the first of the NoSQL databases to be named as such, and offers features not found in the traditional RDBMS: A distributed, robust, incremental replication document-oriented database server with bi-directional conflict detection and management, accessible via a RESTful JSON API, stored ad-hoc and schema-free with a flat address space, that is both query-able and index-able, featuring a table oriented reporting engine that uses JavaScript as a query language. (With a list of buzzwords like that, what's not to love?)
Busy Java Developer's Guide to Android: Basics
Android is a new mobile development platform, based on the Java language and tool set, designed to allow developers to get up to speed writing mobile code on any of a number of handsets quickly. In this presentation, we'll go over the basic setup of the Android toolchain, how to deploy to a device, and basic constructs in the Android world.
Busy Java Developer's Guide to Guava
"The Google Guava project contains a host of new features/classes for use by the Java programmer. Intended as a drop-in supplement for the standard JDK APIs, Guava provides features like immutable and forwarding collections, some concurrency utilities, more support for primitives, and so on.
Busy Java Developer's Guide to Java 7
With the forthcoming release of Java7, a number of things come to fruition, both in the Java language and in the libraries, and it's important for Java developers to know what those features are, and how they change the game of writing Java code--or not.
Pragmatic Architecture
Building an application is not the straightforward exercise it used to be. Decisions regarding which architectural approaches to take (n-tier, client/server), which user interface approaches to take (Smart/rich client, thin client, Ajax), even how to communicate between processes (Web services, distributed objects, REST)... it's enough to drive the most dedicated designer nuts. This talk discusses the goals of an application architecture and why developers should concern themselves with architecture in the first place. Then, it dives into the meat of the various architectural considerations available; the pros and cons of JavaWebStart, ClickOnce, SWT, Swing, JavaFX, GWT, Ajax, RMI, JAX-WS, , JMS, MSMQ, transactional processing, and more.
The Busy Java Developer's Guide to Akka
With the rise of multi-core processors, and their growing ubiquity (on client machines, to say nothing of the server machines on which Java applications most frequently execute), the need to "program concurrently" has risen from "nice-to-have" to "mandatory" requirement, and unfortunately the traditional threading-and-locking model is just too complicated for most Java developers--even the brightest of the lot--to keep track of with any degree of reliability. As a result, numerous new solutions are emerging, each of them with their own strengths and weaknesses, leaving the Java developer in a bit of a quandary as to which to examine.
Mark Richards - SOA and Integration Architect, Author of Java Message Service
AMQP: From Concept To Code Part 2
Advanced Message Queuing Protocol (AMQP) is a new way of looking at messaging that is quickly gaining in popularity and use, particularly in the financial services industry. Unlike JMS, which defines a standard API across platforms, AMQP defines a standard wire-level protocol across languages and platforms, finally making true cross-platform messaging a reality. This is a two-part session. In this session (part 2) I will move beyond "hello amqp" and discuss more detailed aspects of amqp, including such topics as performance, rabbitmq administration, exchange and queue declaration considerations (that topic is really cool), load balancing, how to implement pub/sub in amqp, and how to manage undelivered messages. I will demonstrate and explain all of the examples and topics discussed in this session with hands-on live coding.
Prerequisite: Some knowledge of the concepts of AMQP or Part 1 of this session.
AMQP: From Concept to Code Part 1
Advanced Message Queuing Protocol (AMQP) is a new way of looking at messaging that is quickly gaining in popularity and use, particularly in the financial services industry. Unlike JMS, which defines a standard API across platforms, AMQP defines a standard wire-level protocol across languages and platforms, finally making true cross-platform messaging a reality. This is a two-part session. In this session (part 1) I will describe what AMQP is and what problems it solves, describe the basic architecture and how AMQP routes messages, and then, through live interactive coding, demonstrate how to build a simple producer and consumer using RabbitMQ to send and receive AMQP messages.
Prerequisite: Basic knowledge of messaging; JMS experience or knowledge helpful but not necessary
FDD: Doing Agile in a Non-Agile World
Are you in one of those situations where you want to use an agile methodology such as Scrum or Kanban but find yourself stuck in a company with a non-agile mentality? Or, are you using Scrum or Kanban and it simply isn't working? If so, this session is for you. In this session we will explore Feature Driven Development (FDD) in depth, with a particular focus on using it to make non-agile projects more agile. FDD is a highly iterative agile-like methodology that can be used to augment or replace traditional waterfall based approaches, particularly for those projects using remote or offshore teams. In this session you will learn what FDD is, how it is like agile, how it is not like agile, and how (and why) to integrate it with your traditional waterfall-based methodology (or replace your current agile methodology) to become more agile-like.
The Art of Problem Solving
I commonly think of those of us in the IT industry as problem solvers. Whether developer, designer, or architect, we are all presented with problems and work to find a way to solve them, usually through technology. In my opinion this is what makes this industry so much fun. Let's face it - we all love challenges. Sometimes, however, the problems we have to solve are hard - really hard. So how do you go about solving really hard problems? That's what this session is about - Heuristics, the art of problem solving. In this session you will learn how to approach problems and also learn some the common techniques for solving them effectively. So put on your thinking cap and get ready to solve some easy, fun, and hard problems.
Prerequisite: An open mind and a willingness to learn how to better approach and solve problems
Understanding Enterprise Architecture
Enterprise Architecture (EA) is one of the most misunderstood terms in our industry. Ask 10 people what EA is and you will get 10 different answers. To better understand what EA is and how it impacts your company (and you!) we will go back in time to maritime Britain in the late 1700's. Through exercises in designing a fleet of war ships and making decisions about what to do with the fleet you will understand the various approaches, directions, and implications of EA and how necessary EA is to achieve any company goal. So put your admirals hat on and climb aboard for a maritime adventure you won't forget!
Prerequisite: Not prone to sea sickness, willingness to have fun
Brian Sletten - Forward Leaning Software Engineer
HTML 5 Overview
People are confused about the status of HTML 5. Is it ready? Is it not? What is part of the spec and what isn't? We'll talk about the situation in the "HTML 5 and the Kitchen Sink" discussion, but as always, the proof is in the pudding. We will introduce the most exciting new features of HTML 5 and its related technologies and build examples that use them.
Resource-Oriented Architectures : RDF/SPARQL
The fourth of a series of talks that are part of an arc covering next-generation information-oriented, flexible, scalable architectures. The ideas presented apply to both external and internal-facing systems.
Resource-Oriented Architectures : RDFa
The fifth in a series of talks that are part of an arc covering next-generation information-oriented, flexible, scalable architectures. The ideas presented apply to both external and internal-facing systems.
Resource-Oriented Architectures : REST I
The first in a series of talks that are part of an arc covering next-generation information-oriented, flexible, scalable architectures. The ideas presented apply to both external and internal-facing systems.
Resource-Oriented Architectures : REST II
The second in a series of talks that are part of an arc covering next-generation information-oriented, flexible, scalable architectures. The ideas presented apply to both external and internal-facing systems.
Resource-Oriented Architectures : Semantic SOA
The sixth in a series of talks that are part of an arc covering next-generation information-oriented, flexible, scalable architectures. The ideas presented apply to both external and internal-facing systems.
Matt Stine - Community Engineer @CloudFoundry
Code Archaeology
Feature requests are steadily pouring in, but the team cannot respond to them. They are paralyzed. The codebase on which the company has "bet the business" is simply too hard to change. It's your job to clean up the mess and get things rolling again. Where do you begin? Your first task is to get the lay of the land by applying a family of techniques we'll call "Code Archaeology."
Effective Java Reloaded
Even with the recent explosion in alternative languages for the JVM, the vast majority of us are still writing code in "Java the language" in order to put bread on the table. Proper craftsmanship demands that we write the best Java code that we can possibly write. Fortunately we have a guide in Joshua Bloch's Effective Java.
Effective Java Reloaded, Part II: Hello, Project Coin!
Even with the recent explosion in alternative languages for the JVM, the vast majority of us are still writing code in "Java the language" in order to put bread on the table. Proper craftsmanship demands that we write the best Java code that we can possibly write. Fortunately we have a guide in Joshua Bloch's Effective Java.
Prerequisite: Incredibly useful to attend Part I, but not strictly required.
Executable Specifications: Automating Your Requirements Document with Geb and Spock
One of the hallmarks of lean software development is the elimination of waste. Several of the key wastes in software development revolve around incomplete, incorrect, or obsolete documentation, especially documentation of requirements. One effective means of ensuring that your requirements documentation is complete, correct, and up-to-date is to make it executable. That sounds nice, but how do we get it done, especially in the world of modern, cross-browser web applications?
Rock SOLID Software
Object-oriented programming was formally introduced in the 1970's with the advent of Smalltalk. C++ took it mainstream in the 1980's, and Java carried it to the next level in the 1990's. Unfortunately, if you examine the vast majority of Java codebases, what you'll find is a bunch of C-style structs (a.k.a. JavaBeans) and functions. As these codebases grow, a number of design smells can potentially crop up, which in turn cripple our ability to respond to change. We need SOLID principles that we can apply to keep our software clean and malleable.
The Seven Wastes of Software Development
One of the first principles of lean software development is the elimination of waste. Shigeo Shingo identified seven types of manufacturing waste in his "A Study of the Toyota Production System." Later, the Poppendieck's translated these to seven wastes of software development.
Yes You Kanban
Kanban. What is it? It is most certainly not just moving sticky notes around on a board. Far from that, it is a method for gradual, evolutionary improvement of existing software processes. That's right, existing software processes. There is no "Kanban Development Process." Think you're "doing Kanban?" Think again.
Venkat Subramaniam - Founder of Agile Developer, Inc.
Automated testing tools and techniques for JavaScript
Programmers often complain that it is hard to automate unit and acceptance tests for JavaScript. Testability is a design issue and with some discipline and careful design we can realize good automated tests.
Collections for Concurrency
Traditional collections on the Java platform focused on providing thread-safety at the expense of performance or scalability. More modern data structures strive to provide performance without compromising thread-safety. Some of them require you to adopt to a different semantics or programming model. In this presentation we will explore some data structures that can help reach both thread-safety and reasonable performance.
Concurrency without pain in pure Java
Programming concurrency has turned into a herculean task. I call the traditional approach as the synchronized and suffer model. Fortunately, there are other approaches to concurrency and you can reach out to those directly from your Java code.
Keynote: The rise and fall of empires: Lessons for language designers and programmers
Keynote on lessons we can learn from our civilizations and evolution.
Rediscovering JavaScript
JavaScript is one of those very powerful languages that is often misunderstood and underutilized. It's quite popular, yet there's so much more we can do with it.
Scala for the Intrigued
Scala is a statically typed, fully OO, hybrid functional language that provides highly expressive syntax on the JVM. It is great for pattern matching, concurrency, and simply writing concise code for everyday tasks. If you're a Java programmer intrigued by this language and are interested in exploring further, this section is for you.
Testing with Spock
Spock is an awesome tool that exploits Groovy AST transformation to provide elegant, fluent syntax for writing automated unit tests and functional tests. In this presentation we will learn how to use Spock to unit test both Java and Groovy code.
Craig Walls - Author of Spring in Action
Developing Social-Ready Web Applications
Businesses are increasingly recognizing the value of connecting with their customers on a more personal level. Companies can utilize social networking to transition from "Big Faceless Corporation" to "Friend" by taking their wares to the online communities where their customers are. In this age of social media, those communities are found at social network sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. In this session, you'll learn how to build applications that interact with the various social networks. We'll also look at Spring Social, a new feature in the Spring portfolio that enables integration with social networks in Spring-based applications.
NoXML: Spring for XML-Haters
In this presentation, we'll explore all of the ways to do bean wiring in Spring We'll take a pragmatic view of each style, evaluating their strengths, weaknesses, and applicability to varying circumstances.
Securing Spring
In this session, I'll show you how to secure your Spring application with Spring Security 3.0. You'll see hot to declare both request-oriented and method-oriented security constraints. And you'll see how SpEL can make simple work of expressing complex security rules.
What's new in Spring
In this session, I'll lead a guided tour through the latest that Spring has to offer. Whether you're a Spring veteran or a Spring newbie, there will be something new for nearly everyone.
