Shlomi Fish’s Writings about Computing

Introduction

Being a software developer, that is also very interested in computers and like to program for fun, I started conveying some of my thoughts about computing and this field’s social aspect in various essays I wrote. I hope to concentrate all of them under this section of the homepage.

Some of these essays will require some technical knowledge, but most of them can be read by anyone with a pseudo-technical background.

The Articles and Essays

Articles about Open Source Software

These are essays about Free and Open Source Software, which is software that is available along with the original source code, and can be freely distributed and modified.

Articles about the World-Wide Web (WWW)

Articles about the Web, or the Internet in general.

Articles about Software Management

Software management: leading a team, designing software, working on software, hiring employees, growing a user base, software engineering, etc.

“How to Get Help Online?”

A guide that points to the Internet resources that one should consult for getting help online.

“What Makes Software High-Quality?”

An overview of the parameters that make software high-quality, with a focus on open-source software, and the various methods that can be used to maintain good quality and increase it.

Articles about Perl

Articles about the Perl programming language.

Software Categories' Overviews

“The New Breed of Version Control Systems”

An old overview of pre-git VCS alternatives.

Miscellaneous Articles

When C is the Best? (Tool for the Job)

An essay that explains the times when the C programming language is the best language to use to write an application in, and why it’s still used very often.

Your Programming Language Must Suck

An essay illustrating the trade-off choices in programming languages' design, and why there will always be some users who will be unhappy with them.

The “Broken Window” Fallacy

Why ongoing and unnecessary problems are likely a net economical and psychological loss.

My Memoirs as a Programmer

My memoirs from the years I worked in various places as a programmer, from the times before I kept a blog.