Why would anyone buy an iPad

I've been wondering over the last few months why anyone would buy an Apple iPad. They seem to be fairly limited in what they can do. Wouldn't you be better off with just a smart phone or a netbook? It seems like iPad's are trying to fill a niche that isn't there.

But still people buy them. Are they using them as e-book readers, or running iPhone apps for people with poor eyesight. They just seem to bulky for what little they can do. I have to assume that I am  wrong since so many people use them, but yet I still struggle to see the value. Personally, I would even be hesitant to buy a tablet computer, when I could just go with a laptop instead. Maybe I'm just not the "target market," and that's why I don't understand.

ASP .NET Web Forns vs. MVC

I've used ASP .NET web forms for a number of years on some of the websites I've worked on. Recently I've been looking into MVC more in depth, to see if it is something that I should start using. It seems like most people are very adamant, that one approach or the other is the only way to go. Very few people seem to believe that both approaches are valuable.

I have Pro ASP.NET 4 in C# 2010 but it only briefly covers MVC. The only book I've seen that looks reasonable on MVC is Pro ASP.NET MVC 2 Framework, does anyone have any feedback on this book or recommendations for other resources. I'm looking for something that covers basics, but also covers overall design concepts and principals to use in real life applications. Most of the internet resources that I've found just touch on brief topics, but nothing seems to really cover MVC holistically.

I've also been wondering if MVC 3 has anything substantial that I should hold off for. Most people seem to agree that MVC 2 is the first usable version of the framework, is version 3 significantly better?

The Pragmatic Programmer

After reading Code Complete, I decided to continue with another book that had been on my reading list for a while. The Pragmatic Programmer is another excellent resource for developers. When comparing these two books, I would say that Code Complete is probably a better starting point, since it seems to cover more topics, and provide more details. With that said, Pragmatic Programmer is still a worthwhile read. There is definitely overlap between the two books, but there are some items that Pragmatic Programmer covers, that I didn't remember reading in Code Complete.

The book seems to be more humorous than some of the other software books I've read, which makes for easier, more enjoyable reading. The information in this book is what really helps separate the programmers from the software engineers. These concepts are what help make developers more valuable employees, and more productive engineers.

If you haven't ready Code Complete, I would recommend it first, but with that said I still think Pragmatic Programmer is a worthwhile read.

Software Engineering Handbook - Code Complete

I recently finished reading Steve McConnell's software development manual: Code Complete. It is a hefty read, but well worth it. As I was reading I found myself quickly skimming over some sections that I felt comfortable with, while at the same time other sections really made me think about some of the ways that I approach software development. I also found that some of the topics that I read were things that I tend to do naturally, but it was still nice to see formal definition and documentation to support what I do. The book covers all of the major areas that I would expect an experienced developer to be comfortable with.

Many of the topics are only briefly covered, but it is still an excellent source for how to develop software. For some programmers this may be their first exposure to these topics, so it is a great way to expand your knowledge. Some of these brief introductions should trigger further investigation and research for topics that are of interest. Even if the topics aren't' all covered in depth, it is nice to just know what ideas, practices, and techniques are out there.

In the end, I would say that Code Complete a "must read" for all software engineers, especially for those with at least 2-3 years of experience under their belt. It's still useful for the novice software developer, but the quantity of information may be a little overwhelming for beginners.

Java software development

From what I remember Java is about 15 years old now. Ever since it was released, Java has changed how we do software development. It was one of the first widely used and accepted "pure" object oriented languages. It was one of the best cross platform environments. Java byte code showed that an extra abstraction layer could perform well enough to be a viable option.

Many of Java's ideas and strengths have been copied by other languages and frameworks. These same languages have also learned from some of the mistakes that Java made. Even if Java doesn't become the end-all of software development languages, it will always have a place in history for it's impact on the development community.