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Homepage: https://davisalvey.wordpress.com

Fiddler: The first of five Software Development tools I can’t live without.

Synopsis: When you need to analyze HTTP traffic, use Fiddler, my favorite debugging tool I use Fiddler every day. I debug/fix/tweak/troubleshoot/analyze various bits of software and web services throughout an average week.  Most of the code is not of my making, while some of it I may have never seen before.  Sometimes, I might not […]

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Faux Agile

I ran across a term and definition that nicely encapsulated some of the pain that has plagued many of us who have dipped in and out of Agile methodologies over the years…and wanted to share. “Faux Agile” Groups of people, rarely even worth of the title “teams”, where folks go through the motions of “doing […]

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Is a Querystring encrypted when using HTTPS?

Synopsis: This is really the wrong question.  The question should be “Is an encrypted Querystring secure?” In a recent systems integration conference call, a third-party consultant wanted his application to pass us user credentials via Querystring arguments using SSL.  I commented that I usually don’t recommend doing this, and would prefer a POST to a […]

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SQL CASE statements and Data Types

Synopsis: All return values from a T-SQL CASE statement must be of the same Data Type. …He thought the request was simple.  “Before you leave [for the weekend], can you make one tiny change…it shouldn’t take more than a minute?”  Or, so I heard a Friday past. “Can we sort the results dynamically?”. I wanted […]

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Terms Software Developers and Project Managers should stop using

Synopsis: “Developer Speak” has unintended overtones when interpreted by non-developers and may be misperceived. I often hear/read words and phrases in professional business settings that make me cringe a bit.  I hear them in internal meetings, client meetings, and even interviews.  I read them in emails and resumes.  It could just be me, but certain […]

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Technical Debt, A Developer’s Perspective

Synopsis: Why servicing Technical Debt remains a reactive process Spoiler: Because it is not important until it is IMPORTANT! In a perfect world, servicing Technical Debt would be a proactive, ongoing endeavour.  However, in a developer’s world, technical interest payments rarely get made unless there is a looming issue that requires immediate attention. Technical Debt […]

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Javascript: Converting a string representation of an object to an actual Object without eval

We all know that eval is evil, right? Every once in a while, I run across a situation where it is very tempting to just use “eval”, but in general I avoid it. Granted, there are acceptable reasons to use “eval”, but I have a hard time justifying a new instance of the JavaScript compiler […]

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Don’t add hacks, make features!

Synopsis: Use SQL and  a bit (sorry) of bit comparison to create a “Feature Framework” Is there a good way to add what amounts to nothing more than a HACK to your application? Probably not, but there are ways to mitigate the damage. I was recently given the task of modifying a well-designed client-server application […]

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IE9, iframes, cookies and Platform for Privacy Preferences (P3P)

Synopsis: IE blocks cookies from third-party iframes. A few weeks ago,  a client requested that we/I create an  integration with an existing application they had been using.  The functionality provided by the existing application duplicated the functionality we currently provide, but the client was adamant that they could not change their business process.  So, we […]

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