October 2006 - Vol. 49 No. 10

October 2006 issue cover image

Features

Opinion Editorial pointers Oct 1 2006

Editorial Pointers

Globalization, for all its business benefits, has forced many software developers to adapt their development processes to keep up with changing operational circumstances. As a result, many organizations have turned to globally distributed software development (GSD) to share the load but find it comes with its own problems. Will a solution be found in agile […]

Diane Crawford

Computing Applications

News News track Oct 1 2006

In 1981, seven young Indian engineers founded a tiny firm in a cramped apartment after begging the Indian government to allow them to buy a Western computer. What transpired over the next 25 years is now known worldwide as Infosys, a $2 billion outsourcing giant with 58,000 employees and a market value of $22 billion. […]

CACM Staff

Computing Applications

Opinion Forum Oct 1 2006

I share the view expressed in Mikko Siponen’s excellent "Technical Opinion" ("Information Security Standards Focus on the Existence of Process, Not Its Content," Aug. 2006) that information security is still a folk art. Siponen correctly pointed out that today’s standards provide little more than safeguard processes, not good-practice specifications or implementation content. Moreover, these safeguards […]

Computing Applications

Opinion Technology strategy and management Oct 1 2006

Envisioning the Future of India’s Software Services Business

Forecasting coming challenges for Indian software companies.

Michael A. Cusumano

Computing Applications

Opinion Hot links Oct 1 2006

Top 10 Downloads from ACM’s Digital Library

Communications of the ACM Volume 49, Number 10 (2006), Pages 19-20 Hot links: Top 10 downloads from ACM’s digital library Diane Crawford Table of Contents Tables Back to Top Tables Table. The Top 10 Most Popular Papers from ACM’s Refereed Journals and Conference Proceedings Downloaded in July 2006 Table. The 10 Most Popular Courses at […]

Computing Applications

Opinion Legally speaking Oct 1 2006

IBM’s Pragmatic Embrace of Open Source

Open source has changed the intellectual property landscape of the software industry.

Pamela Samuelson

Architecture and Hardware

Research and Advances Flexible and distributed software processes: old petunias in new bowls? Oct 1 2006

Globalization and turbulent business environments are two factors that create significant challenges for software organizations today. In the wake of the IT downturn, many organizations have turned toward globally distributed software development (GSD) in their quest for the silver bullet of high-quality software delivered cheaply and quickly. At the same time, the increasingly volatile requirements […]

Pär J. Ågerfalk and Brian Fitzgerald

Computing Applications

Research and Advances Flexible and distributed software processes: old petunias in new bowls? Oct 1 2006

Ambidextrous Coping Strategies in Globally Distributed Software Development Projects

Strategies for enhancing flexibility and rigor.

Gwanhoo Lee, William DeLone, and J. Alberto Espinosa

Computing Applications

Research and Advances Flexible and distributed software processes: old petunias in new bowls? Oct 1 2006

Can Distributed Software Development Be Agile?

Three organizations studied here suggest the answer is "yes," when the unique characteristics of both environments are successfully blended.

Balasubramaniam Ramesh, Lan Cao, Kannan Mohan, and Peng Xu

Computing Applications

Research and Advances Flexible and distributed software processes: old petunias in new bowls? Oct 1 2006

Aligning IT Components to Achieve Agility in Globally Distributed System Development

Agile IT strategy, infrastructure, and project management are key elements for realizing agility in GDSD projects.

Computing Applications

Research and Advances Flexible and distributed software processes: old petunias in new bowls? Oct 1 2006

Dependency Forecasting in the Distributed Agile Organization

Coordination, or the management of dependencies among tasks, can be accomplished in a number of ways in software development projects. Coordination mechanisms include such things as a defined software process, a well-documented software architecture, and detailed project planning. Agile methods tend to eschew these formal coordination mechanisms in favor of frequent, intensive, informal communication among […]

Patrick Wagstrom and James Herbsleb

Computing Applications

Research and Advances Flexible and distributed software processes: old petunias in new bowls? Oct 1 2006

Globally Distributed Software Development and Pair Programming

The benefits of pair programming are unquestioned provided the pairs work in close proximity. Globally distributed software development creates opportunities for remote pair programming. What must be done to yield the same benefits?

Nick V. Flor

Computing Applications

Research and Advances Oct 1 2006

Toward Nature-Inspired Computing

NIC-based systems utilize autonomous entities that self-organize to achieve the goals of systems modeling and problem solving.

Jiming Liu and K.C. Tsui

Architecture and Hardware

Research and Advances Oct 1 2006

Building Objects out of Plato: Applying Philosophy, Symbolism, and Analogy to Software Design

If we analyze a program as we do a story, we might ask: "What is the author really saying?"

Ray Giguette

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Practice Oct 1 2006

What Makes a Good Programmer?

An examination of the relationship of values, cognitive ability, and personality as predictors of object-oriented programming performance.

Casey G. Cegielski and Dianne J. Hall

Computing Applications

Research and Advances Oct 1 2006

Why Spoofing Is Serious Internet Fraud

Fake Web sites fool the unwary into divulging personal data, undermining all consumers' trust in e-commerce, no matter how trustworthy the authentic online business truly is.

Tamara Dinev

Architecture and Hardware

Research and Advances Oct 1 2006

Who Gets Spammed?

Spam is no random event, but specifically targets those with purchasing power.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Research and Advances Oct 1 2006

Studying the Current Status of Technology Adoption

Examining the extent and nature of adoption of technologies by micro, small, and medium-sized manufacturing firms in the greater Boston area.

Pratyush Bharati and Abhijit Chaudhury

Computing Applications

Opinion Inside risks Oct 1 2006

Virtual Machines, Virtual Security?

Virtual machines (VMs) are once again a hot trend in system configuration, as demonstrated by the emergence of VMware, Xen, and a renewed interest in hardware assists for virtualization. Some uses are clearly beneficial: virtual machines are great for hosting Web sites and servers because VMs avoid the use of multiple computers to support different […]

Steven M. Bellovin

Computing Applications

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