Archive for the 'Software' Category
Friday, August 15th, 2008
Review of Project Management Tools - Google Docs & Calendar, Zoho, Codebeamer, Dotproject, gForge
Project Management suites are, in my own words, absolutely essential for application development companies. They empower project teams to manage documentations, plan milestones, organize meetings and facilitate communications - and more importantly, involves our precious clients seamlessly so you don’t have to waste too much managing tedious, angsty, never-ending back & forth communications. I can now claim myself to be a real matter expert in this field because I have tried all of the above mentioned applications before settling for 1 for my purpose. I must say there is no 1 single perfect suite for my needs, as they certainly have different offerings and features. I certainly have my preferences though. While the above apps are not the only one, (there are others like 37signals’s basecamp which cost quite a tidy sum.. you try them and let me know how they fare), they are certainly free at least to a reasonable certain extent. Without further ado, there is the lowdown on them:
Codebeamer
This is the very 2nd project management tool I have ever used after Project-lifeline, a now defunct project management tool developed in house by SMU Students. Codebeamer, developed by Itland, does not come cheap for its commercial version. Its free version allow only up to 5 users, and with many functionalities disabled. When I contacted the salesperson to enquire about the cost, they give me the impression of being rather shady - they evaded a question I have regarding whether the free version had a certain feature (which he told me its only available on paid for version, but I later discovered myself that the free version had that feature), and quoted me quite an astronomical price - about USD$1,000 for about 100 users (though my company has obviously not grown that huge)
Service aside, Codebeamer has a subversion integration capability that allows administrators to set up SVN easily. Under documentations, ACL is nicely implemented. You can even plot sequence diagrams and other uml notations with text. CB has a very nice interface which is using to create your own wiki blog, and a nice integration workflow structure which allows linking of documents to everywhere else. Like Zoho, Codebeamer has a forum functionality and notification mechanism for new documents and forum post.
What I do not savor however is the lack of Calendar function. Codebeamer has a tasklist and milestone feature but for me that is insufficient. Codebeamer, which is being supported by JavaForge, may be well-liked by big software firms but for my purpose, I needed something that is easier to use and integrates well with word documents. One more thing; it looks horrible on Safari and Firefox 3.
Google Docs & Calendar
My pursuit of an integration tool with Calendar and Documents bring me towards exploring Google’s offering - Docs and Calendar. Now there is a huge problem 2 hrs into my experiment; Google Doc does not offer project management features at all. Instead of a many-users-to-1-portal-with-many-docs model, they use a many-users-to-many-docs model. Meaning, documents are being shared at a user level, instead of at a project level. Thus, it becomes difficult to manage these documentations. A solution would be everyone share a single Google account to log into the portal, but this opens a can of worm on audit trail issues. Without any doubt though, Google Doc is easily the best in the office suite in terms of usability.
On a separate issue, Google Calendar is just beautiful to bits. It is easy to move and drag events, and has a nice reminder feature (I heard if you are in States, you get SMS reminder service). Google Calendar allows users to share calendar and to publish their own. I will be looking closely at Google’s foray into project management aspects.
Dotproject
This is an open source project from the land of Mercedez (and CB). The best part of it? It is free, deployable on your own server (like Codebeamer), runs on PHP so you can just use some webhosting companies and has many plugin availables from the OS community. However, the userablity of Dotproject has a lot of room to improve; In an age where AJAX is so commonly used, Dotproject lags far behind in user interactivity.
gForge
To be honest, I only tried gForge, which is vastly similar to Codebeamer in its core features for a while before I give up. I cannot comment much except that it is free, and allows users to set up SVN and track bugs easily - just like Codebeamer. What stops me from proceeding further with it is in its lack of abilities to allow me to write documentations immediately without having the need to upload.
Zoho Projects
I love Zoho to bits. Ive told many friends about it, and even the forum moderators in Zoho. To me, Zoho projects is almost on the brink of perfection, except for some minor bugs and wishful features I really want; such as integration with Zoho Calendar (which is nice to drag and drop), and offline synchronisation of documents. Zoho projects is Google Docs in a project management suit. It has a wonderful multiple portals and projects management which allow users to change portals and projects easily. The calendar features is easy to use and Zoho Write (MS version of Ms word) and Zoho Sheet (MS version of excel) is very friendly (:
Another article about Zoho that gives you a better idea on the office applications:
http://www.twistermc.com/blog/2006/06/20/zoho-online-office-applications
I feel Zoho Projects has huge potential, with its killer low price and responsive replies response from its support. With its all round integration functionality, the value curve offering, imho, is a notch above others.
Thats all folks. Please leave me a comment if you disagree or if you like what you read (:
Friday, November 16th, 2007
Carry your Operating System in your Mini Drive wherever you go!
I found this very cool application on http://portableapps.com/. Features are as follow:
“Convenient
Now you can carry your favorite computer programs along with all of your bookmarks, settings, email and more with you. Use them on any Windows computer. All without leaving any personal data behind.
Open
PortableApps.com provides a truly open platform that works with any hardware you like (USB flash drive, iPod, portable hard drive, etc). It’s open source built around an open format that any hardware vendor or software developer can use.
Free
The Portable Apps Suite™ is free. It contains no spyware. There are no advertisements. It isn’t a limited or trial version. There is no additional hardware or software to buy. You don’t even have to give out your email address. It’s 100% free to use, free to copy and free to share.”
I have read about it before but it wasnt until today I finally found this application by chance. This program is especially useful if laptop/pc sharing is very prevalent in your organisation, or when you switch between machines very frequently. Speed is quite reasonable and you can easily share your operating environment with your peers in case you would like them to continue on your projects. And oh btw, it works only in Windows :S
Friday, October 5th, 2007
Creating Adobe PDF for Beginners
Its Friday and before I give a quick tip or two on creating PDF files, heres one of my fav strips from http://www.pbfcomics.com/ to end off a fine week. Its so BAD its funny 
Anyway, back to topic. Many of us create PDF files for different reasons: For that extra niche touch to your resume, reports or quotations, or to prevent people from modifying, printing or copying contents from the file. Don’t ask me why people want to do the later, but generally, PDF files carry an aura of professionalism and is considered a real essential. I personally use CutePDF for this purpose. Read the rest of this entry »
Tuesday, October 2nd, 2007
Down to Basics - Part II: Top 5 Applications for the Average Professional
There is often a software/web application produced for every useful feasible thing you can wish for - e.g. to rip off that youtube video for your presentation (google for it!), or a 3rd party to enable wonderful effects you see in Mac keynotes for your MS Powerpoint. Such is the power of Internet, where individuals all around the world share ideas and constantly innovate being aware of a potential huge global market.
It thus amazes me how poorly equipped is the average professional down the streets is when it comes to their machine. To most of them, a notebook is probably simply a tool to use MS Word, PPT. Hopefully, this post would be useful to professionals like yourself in determining the must-have applications you should have in your laptop in order to facilitate your projects and lifestyle. (DISCLAIMER: This post assumes users use Windows OS, and I am in no way affiliated to any of the following products or companies).
Note, on top of this list #0 would definitely be Mozilla for me - It is too good, too sacred to be even ranked on this list, and of course, deserves no mention since its akin to telling you water is necessary for you.
#1 - DriveImage XML : This software ranks number 1 in my list for very good reasons; It is free, easy to use, and saves lives (by preventing heart attacks and suicide attempts). Data Backup, at least on a fortnightly basis is good practice but few professionals religiously do it because they complain they have no time. This is a clear fallacy - you only need to leave your machine overnight after spending last than 30 seconds starting it. You should also use an external HDD to store your image in, so when your HDD crashes, your backup still survives on a separate element.
#2 - ScreenPrint : One of my favorite utilities on my laptop. This software is also free, and allow me to put together a presentation or report quickly by bypassing cropping, editing, resizing optimally any print screens. It is number 2 on my list, also because of its user friendliness and minimal resource requirement.
# 3 - AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition : Again, a freeware that is hugely popular. I do not have to elaborate how critical Anti-Virus softwares are: They are simply a necessity in modern systems. AVG is my alternative on machines that do no have bundled anti-virus solutions. The only downside is the occasional advertisements that that does not bother me. For added security, I recommend upgrades or Trendmicro’s online web scan - HouseCall
# 4 - CCleaner : This is one utility I use every week - to clean up the hundreds of megabytes that clog my temp folder after I unzip files or uninstall any obsolete applications, or the pile of chunks that resides in my Mozilla or IE repository. I also use CCleaner just before I do my defragmenting, just to save more time and to avoid processing negligible files.
# 5 - Microsoft Outlook : Not the most perfect application, but definitely the best in the trade for me. The fact that it supports Exchange, which is commonly used in many Organisation, alone justifies its no. 5 spot. I have minimal complaints about its Calendar, Notes and Task functions too - except that it should support a 7 days view in a way similar to 5 days view especially for wide-screen users (there may be 3rd party solutions, or is implemented in Outlook 2007). I frequently ‘abuse’ the spell check, the easy of attaching files via copy & paste, and the compatibility when sync-ing with many modern Smart Phones using Windows Mobile OS. There is also a handful of 3rd party software supporting syncing with Palm OS as well (I personally use Tungsten and is currently evaluating such solutions like Beyond Contacts and Keysuite - work like a charm!)
There you go, my interim top 5 applications for the average professionals - subject to changes. If you have anymore suggestions, or objections, share it right here!
Sunday, September 30th, 2007
Down to Basics - Part I: Free, Open Source or Commercial?
Ever been in a situation where your business decision comes to a crossroad in the topic, in which the answer is not always straightforward? Before I go into a deep discussion, I’ll explain what each terminology, at least, means for the sake of this discussion.
Freeware: This category of software in fact encompasses Open Source software - more distinctively, free software are otherwise considered which its source code is proprietary to the owner. E.g. MSN Messenger and Windows Media Player are both free but their source codes are not revealed to the public to work upon and developed further. The companies who developed these softwares or open source softwares operate on a different business model compared to commercial software companies - through provision of paid technical services, training of usage, using free software as a mean of branding and advertisement, etc.
Open Source: Open Source is a topic close to my heart; Mozilla, Filezilla(FTP Client and Server), Gimpshop (Image Editor), MySQL (Database Server), Tomcat (Web Server Test Environment), Asterisk (Phone System Program) and of course Wordpress 
all reside in my servers or laptop. By making source codes public, OS softwares leverage on the community spirit to produce improvements and plugins. One of the best known OS software is of course Linux, which is by default an operating system - but it has since evolved into a necessity for server technologies. Many times, these can be software which were originally commercial - such as Eclipse, a Java IDE.
Commercial: The name is self-explanatory; some examples are Photoshop and Microsoft Office, which can cost between USD$100 to USD$1k depending on usage.
Most often, many essential types of applications come in all 3 forms, or at least 2 forms. For e.g. Pixia (Free), Gimpshop (OS) and Photoshop (Commercial) is one combination, while another one would be OpenOffice (OS) and Microsoft Office (Commercial), That said, the following factors should assist in determining your choice.
1) Needs & Requirements: Is the free or open-source version fulfilling your needs? In many cases, free softwares includes important features of commercial softwares without the bells and whistle, and suffice the needs. E.g. OpenOffice has been adopted by many major corporations and organisations, like Singapore Armed Forces. OpenOffice was deemed sufficient for them; Microsoft Outlook, on the other hand supports Exchange Server, something which not many clients such as the popular Thunderbird has.
2) Costs: Assuming the software does not cost a single cent but brought you slightly less benefits, you have to make the call for the balance; is the premium you are paying worth the extra incentives? Are there other solutions out which are free as well that can complement the free solution? Is the extra effort and time worth it, or would you rather pay
3) Support: Closely linked to Needs & Requirements, there was a report released from Microsoft some time ago on how companies using Linux distributions had ended up spending much more than they would if they had continued with Windows OS. Of course, it may/may not be true, but the ultimate point is, if support was an important component as part of your business. Would you rather “self support” / pay for a technical personnel full time to resolve any issues? How often do you anticipate problems using their software.
However, always remember that paying heavily for a product does not always guarantee world class support. I have experienced some of the worst support paying USD$10,000 a year, while the best support paying for nothing (e.g. Open Source software). How did this happen? The logic is simple - Free softwares have more users, and thus, a larger community of fellow users who may have experienced the same problems and solved via “diy”. For open source software, plus the large community of users and developers altogether, there you go - you have thousands of developers working on plugins and answering your doubts on forums - for free
4) Usability and Adaptability: By now, we all know some of the best applications in the world are free; Mozilla, MySQL, Joomla (Award Winning CMS). Similarly, for some software, there are simply no alternatives - Gimp is notoriously known to be difficult for beginners who were used to Photoshop; Likewise, when I tried my hands on KompoZer (formally nVu), a web authoring WYSIWYG tool, a competitor to Dreamweaver, I had the hardest time relearning the basics and all the intuitively simple and useful functions in Dreamweaver. Dreamweaver has been far too developed and deservingly gets my pennies. *ps* KompoZer just released a latest update in September 07 while I was evaluating an 05 version.
5) Compatibility: What I meant by this is, in its most basic form for e.g. , assuming you run PHP applications - why then, would you use M$ SQL when MySQL often goes hand in hand with PHP - just see popular applications such as phpMyAdmin and WAMP(Windows)/LAMP(Linux) - which combines PHP and MySQL. Most of all, if you decided to save cost on server OS and opted for Linux, do not expect to use ASP later on. Likewise, are you in sync with your major business partners and your system compatible with theirs, so in order to smoothly integrate with theirs?
In a nutshell, the answer is, as always, “it depends“. Run through Pt 1 to Pt 5, before you make a judgment, as your business needs may demand different answers at different times. Personally, I am a strong advocate for Free or Open-Source applications - I have volumes of pleasantly surprising experiences with many of them - more importantly, my own company is a SME where savings go a long way, and where customizing Open Source applications is a huge revenue generator; Before Internet, it probably is not wise to use unsupported software in your enterprise; However, the advent of Internet meant previously isolated users are now able to get together and help each other out, and to “sanctions” or volunteer (Open Source Movements) for improvements of the applications.
Of course, there will always be the argument that without funds, there will be no R&D and eventually commercial companies cannot improve their products. This however has not surfaced; Oracle and MS SQL have instead been ruffled with competitions and economist will tell you competition leads to better standards.Wikipedia has shown how potent a single community can be - in fact, that they are intending to compete with Google with a similar concept -
http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/12/23/wikipedia-to-launch-searchengine-exclusive-screenshot/
It often fascinates me how many SMEs have conveniently overlooked free and open source solutions without considering all of the 5 factors I have listed. Most of my clients are often ready-to-pay for anything but consulting and technical support. Firm believers of commercial software should instead look to the power of communities in the open source world as the future of IT.
