I don’t always agree with Mr. Yegge, but this is a great presentation/script on Dynamic Languages with some very interesting ideas and discussion topics.

One point that he never actually got to, but one that I think is worth more discussion - how do you maintain a million-line codebase w/out static types?

My answer is that with a good dynamic language, you have some seriously elegant features and patterns that allow you to keep the size of your codebase small.  Essentially, you don’t maintain a million-line codebase - because it doesn’t take a million lines to write your application.

Which fits in with some of the agile concepts as well - if you are building a project in an agile style, the constant refactoring and removal of technical debt will keep the application smaller and lighter.  The unit tests ensure a clean level of separation of concerns, the DRY and YAGNI principles reduce bloat.

On Wednesday evening, I had the pleasure of attending the Jolt Awards ceremony where Continuous Integration: Improving Software Quality and Reducing Risk was a finalist….and WON for best technical book!

Stelligent’s own, Paul Duvall, and co-author, Steve Matyas were on to hand to accept the trophy- which is essentially a giant can of Jolt cola encased in a Lucite block. You have to see it in person- the design is very cool (and it’s heavy!).

Many congratulations to Paul, Andy, and Steve; as well as the contributors, editors, and publishers who brought this book to life! This year’s winners will be featured in the June 2008 issue of Dr. Dobb’s Journal.

If you’re a fan of Continuous Integration (and local to the Washington DC area) you’ll want to clear your calendar the evening of Thursday, August 30th to celebrate with the authors of “Continuous Integration: Improving Software Quality and Reducing Risk” at their book signing.

Book signing at Barnes and Noble (map)
with Paul Duvall, Andrew Glover, and Steve Matyas
Thursday, August 30th
7:30 - 9:00 p.m.

Immediately following the signing, Stelligent and 5AM Solutions are throwing a release party at McCormick & Schmick’s. So…if the book isn’t enough to get you out of the house, the complimentary drinks and appetizers should.

Release party at McCormick & Schmick’s
Reston Town Center
9:00 - 11:00 p.m.

If you’re interested, please make sure to RSVP prior to August 27th. Oh, and feel free to spread the word, far and wide!

The release date for the newest addition to Addison-Wesley’s renowned Martin Fowler Signature series, Continuous Integration: Improving Software Quality and Reducing Risk, is just around the corner.

Authored by Paul Duvall, with co-authors Andrew Glover and Stephen Matyas, the book is available for pre-order to be shipped June 29, 2007.

If you’ve noticed that you’d rather be developing software for users rather than fiddling with software integration issues, this book will help you get there without much of the “pain” you thought would be involved.

Part I of the book provides an introduction to Continuous Integration (CI) including practices and techniques for using CI effectively with your teams. Part II expands the core concepts into other effective processes performed by CI systems, such as testing, inspection, deployment, and feedback.

If you haven’t already, I encourage you to head on over to Amazon to pre-order a copy (or three). Prepare to be spoiled.