The Problem with Sun Microsystems
By Raymond Keckler | February 5, 2008
At my day job we use Glassfish from Sun Microsystems. Glassfish is opensource. It is basically the beta platform for the Sun Java Application Server 9.X. We are gradually moving toward Java-centric applications and Glassfish is working for us. We decided to look for support. I called up my Sun representative to ask about support for Glassfish. I learned that Glassfish does not have support, but the Sun Java Application Server (SJAS) does. SJAS can be downloaded for free. It can even be used commercially for free. However, if you want support, you must buy the support and the license to use SJAS.
I am all for making a buck, but this seemed a little strange. You offer an application for free and everyone can use it for commercial purposes. Instead of just selling support you also sell the license for the software if they want support. There is nothing written on the web site for support that says you have to buy a license for the software. It really makes you think about what Sun is doing, not to mention that the license for the software is six times as much as for the support.
So, Sun gets you to use the free software for your business. You get dependent on the software for your business. You get to a certain point and realize that you need support to continue your business without any hiccups. Now you realize that you can have support after you dole out large amounts of money to buy the software they said you could use for free. What do you think they are going to do with MySQL? They just bought MySQL, but MySQL is also free. You can buy support for MySQL. They do not require you to purchase licenses for MySQL in order to buy support. Now that Sun has purchased MySQL, are they going to use the same process they use on SJAS? Are they now going to make a customer buy licenses for MySQL in order to buy support while still offering MySQL for free? I am not sure but it doesn’t look good to me.
Maybe I should look at JBoss and PostgreSQL.
Topics: Business, Chatter | 1 Comment »
Raven’s Brain
By Raymond Keckler | February 3, 2008
I happened to come across a blog called Raven’s Brain. I like the way she writes. She is entertaining and informative. The article that caught my eye was “A Guide to Managing IT Projects“. One of the points in the article is the Project Charter. A project must start with a Project Charter. In the post there is a link to a Project Charter you can download. The Project Charter is laid out nicely. It has all the items needed to define the purpose, objectives and stakeholder needs of a project.
There are plenty of other articles ranging from agile development to leadership. Each is educational and engaging. I highly recommend reading it.
Topics: Chatter, Project Management | 1 Comment »
PMI Local Chapters
By Raymond Keckler | February 2, 2008
I think it is important to be a part of your local chapter if you are a member of PMI. The local chapter is where you meet other people with the same interest you have in project management. It also gives you a knowledge base to use if you need it. I belong to the Tallahassee, Florida chapter. It is a small group compared to others in Florida but it does have a lot to offer. Every other month there is a dinner and guest speaker. There are lunch groups and other events such as a case study discussion group. Overall, the local groups provide motivation, information and networking.
Topics: Chatter | No Comments »
Project Time Management – Part 1 Activity Definition
By Raymond Keckler | January 31, 2008
Now that you have your work breakdown structure, what do you do? This is when you get into Project Time Management. Project Time Management includes the processes required to accomplish timely completion of the project (PMBOK 123). There is a flow that should be followed to help you figure out what and when you should do the activities. The following are the 6 processes that need to be done in the Project Time Management Knowledge area.
- Activity Definition
- Activity Sequencing
- Activity Resource Estimating
- Activity Duration Estimating
- Schedule Development
- Schedule Control
The Activity Definition process will identify the deliverables at the lowest level in the work breakdown structure called the work package (PMBOK 127). This work package is used to provide the estimations made in the project work. The inputs needed to do this are:
- Enterprise environmental factors
- Organizational process assets
- Project scope statement
- Work breakdown structure
- WBS dictionary
- Project management plan
Topics: Project Management | No Comments »
Developing the Work Breakdown Structure
By Raymond Keckler | January 19, 2008
The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) gives us a description of what work needs to be done to complete the project. The WBS is in the form of a hierarchical diagram. As you traverse down the levels, more detail is provided on the work. In the WBS you have two types of work items called an activity and a task. An activity is a piece of work. A task is a smaller piece of work. Activities turn into tasks in the WBS. The last term you need to know is the work package. The work package guides us in how the tasks that make up the activity will be done.
Breaking down the work into different levels in the hierarchy is called decomposition. We take each activity and break it down into steps. These steps will be the next activities a level down in the hierarchy. By decomposing the project you can get an estimate on the duration of the project. Required resources will come to light as well as the schedule for the work. There are two main approaches to decomposing a project plan, the top-down approach and the bottom-up approach.
Topics: Project Management | No Comments »