Book review: Peopleware

Published Sun, Nov 23 2008 21:03

I’ve been a proud owner of the book Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams since 2000. However, only recently have I started publishing reviews on books, so to be fair, I had to reread it again (yes, I’ve read the book a couple of times and I find it always entertaining and I always end up getting something which I didn’t quite get in my previous read).

The book is really great! Besides giving data that supports why we need offices (not cubicles, dress codes and other stuff which really doesn’t do anything to improve the quality of development!), you’ll also find several interesting ideas on how you can make teams jell.

What I find most interesting about the ideas on the book is that they’ve been there for some 20 years (or more – the second edition has almost ten years), and I still haven’t found many managers that have read the book (or even have heard about it) or companies that try to apply the principles presented on the book. In fact, when I think about it, it’s really amazing that I’m able to write code everyday and that we ship some apps from time to time…oh well, I digress. Final note: 10/10.

by luisabreu

Filed under: Books

Comments

# kranti said on Monday, November 24, 2008 7:22 AM

I am getting strange error with update panel. Basically I use a lot of usercontrols so please be paitient with me. I am using a script manager in the Masterpage, then I added a usercontrol(usercontrol 1) to Master page which has couple of usercontrols*( 2 and 3) embedded inside usercontrol 1. Usercontrol 2 has a datagrid which displays some data and usercontrol 3 has a repeater which displays data. Now, here I am using update panel for usercontrol 2 and 3 and it works fine for me. I mean when I click the retrieve button in usercontrol 2 it updates the usercontrol2 and displays the data. Same thing happens with usercontrol 3. Now If I use update panel in any of the pages, I am getting a problem. When I click retrieve button in any pages it works fine, but when I click the retrieve button in any of the user control which is on the Master Page, then I am getting Processing... Image on the page also, where as It should display the processing Image only on usercontrol.

The problem is with the pages that are inherited from master page. Masterpage usercontrols are different, I am using another new usercontrol in the page that is inherited from masterpage. Now, if I click the Retrieve button on the master page, I am getting the loading Image for the page also, where as the image should be displayed only in the Master page updatepanel.

This is the code that I am using. I am posting just the partial code.

Master Page Code:

<%@ Master Language="VB" CodeFile="MasterPage.master.vb" Inherits="MasterPage" %>

---I am registering the usercontrol here

<asp:UpdatePanel ID="upLeftNav" runat="server" UpdateMode="Conditional">

<uc1:uc ID="LeftNavigation" runat="server"></uc1:uc>

</ContentTemplate>

</asp:UpdatePanel>

</div>

Code in LeftNavigation Usercontrol:

---Here I am registering these two user controls

<p>

<uc1:safety id="Safety_" runat="server"></uc1:safety>

<uc1:quality id="Quality_" runat="server"></uc1:quality><BR>

</p>

Code in user_control safety:

<div>

<uc:caldr ID="dtCal" runat="server" /> </div>

<asp:UpdatePanel ID="updtPnl" UpdateMode="Conditional" runat="server">

<asp:ImageButton ID="btnRtrvSafety" runat="server" CssClass="font" OnClick="btnRtrvSafety_Click" ImageUrl="~/images/arrowimg.gif" /></div>

<asp:repeater id="Repeater1" Runat="server">

----- Binding the data here

</ItemTemplate>

</asp:repeater>

</ContentTemplate>

</asp:UpdatePanel>

</div>

<div>

<asp:UpdateProgress ID="updtPrgs" AssociatedUpdatePanelID="updtPnl" runat="server" DisplayAfter="300">

</ProgressTemplate>

</asp:UpdateProgress>

</div>

Code in user_control Quality:

<uc:caldr ID="dateCal" runat="server" />

<asp:UpdatePanel ID="UpdatePanel1" UpdateMode="Conditional" runat="server">

<asp:ImageButton ID="btnRrvQulty" runat="server" CssClass="font" ImageUrl="~/images/arrowimg.gif" />

<br/>

<asp:Label id="Label1" Font-Size="10px" Font-Names="verdana" runat="server" ForeColor="Navy"

Font-Bold="True">Testing</asp:Label>

<asp:DataGrid BORDER="0" id="dgd" runat="server" AutoGenerateColumns="False" Font-Names="verdana"

Font-Size="10px" Width="100%">

</asp:DataGrid>

</ContentTemplate>

</asp:UpdatePanel>

<div>

<asp:UpdateProgress ID="UpdateProgress1" AssociatedUpdatePanelID="UpdatePanel1" runat="server" DisplayAfter="300">

</ProgressTemplate>

</asp:UpdateProgress>

</div>

Now the above code goes in to the left side of the Master page.

This is the code for the page that I am using Test.aspx

<asp:UpdatePanel ID="updtPnlQuality" runat="server">

<uc1:User_controlQua id="QuaDetails1" runat="server"></uc1:User_controlQua>

</ContentTemplate>

<asp:AsyncPostBackTrigger ControlID="btnRetrieve"/>

</Triggers>

</asp:UpdatePanel>

<asp:UpdateProgress ID="UpdateProgress1" AssociatedUpdatePanelID="updtPnlQuality" runat="server" DisplayAfter="300">

<asp:Image ID="img1" runat="server" ImageUrl="~/images/progress.gif" />

Processing...

</div>

</ProgressTemplate>

</asp:UpdateProgress>

Ok, Now I am getting error with the page.

As I mentioned, when I clicke the retrieve button on the left side of the master page, I am getting loading image even on the aspx page. where as when i click the retrieve button on the page, it works fine there, I mean I am getting the image just on the page and not on the user control which is on the masterpage.

If you need more explanation please contact me:

Email: krantikumar24@yahoo.com