Ars Technica takes a guided tour of the Microsoft Command Shell (a.k.a. Monad)

Here

Update: UCM or Base ClearCase?

We copped out… UCM, as implemented at our client, was way too heavy for our project needs and with the help of the local admin Pinakin and I were able to get a significantly cut down process that more resembles base ClearCase. Rational/IBM have recognised the weight of implementing UCM and modified the process tooling in 2004, this client has yet to upgrade…

Other Finetix colleagues, Marc and Chris, have very recently started an engagement with the same client on a project that uses UCM extensively. I’d be interested in their opinions/experiences with UCM as the project progresses.

UCM or Base ClearCase?

ClearCase pretty much has the SCM market sown up in investment banks and I have used it on many projects over the last 8 years; sure it’s heavy(ish) to learn and refactoring support could be better, but it does what it says on the tin and quickly becomes a part of the build environment that you tend to ignore because it just works. Until today.

Just starting Sprint 1 of a new client project and Story 2 had us setting up the continuous build environment (CruiseControl, Ant, JUnit, NUnit,… the usual suspects for a C#/Java project), I was very surprised to find all of the adjacent projects using Unified Change Management (UCM) with ClearCase. This was a surprise as I have only ever seen the base product used before (customised to support an in-house build/release process), so there is a new set of terminology/patterns to be digested.

There is good online material supporting UCM (good overview here), initial impressions are:

• Higher level of abstraction – no longer have to deal with files/directory. Key abstractions: projects, component baselines and activities maps far more cleanly to modern development practices.


• In-built integration process. Will this be flexible enough? How heavy/light will this prove.


• ClearQuest Integration. How do I turn this off? (not very Agile friendly)

I’ll post an update later in the project on my opinions of how UCM works out in practice vs. Base ClearCase.

SCM Patterns

Repeatable builds are a key part of any Agile process. I have often had to put together a build/release processes as part of a consulting engagement.

Anti-Patterns and Patterns in Software Configuration Management has proven a useful resource over the years, more for the anti-patterns than anything else. To be able to demonstrate that an existing practice/process has been documented as industry bad practice dramatically reduces the amount of PowerPoint required prior to introducing change.

I’ve not read Software Configuration Management Patterns: Effective Teamwork, Practical Integration but have heard good things from colleague.

Only on Slashdot...

This is an absolute classic.

I’ve been an avid blog reader for some time now and have been meaning to set up my own blog for some time, a new job at a consultancy company where blogging is an established part of the culture have finally provided me with the impetus to set up one of my own. Cool.