Chrome OS and Chromebooks are Unbreakable in 2013

I am still using my Cr-48 daily as my goto kitchen-table-top/counter-top device since Google sent me one back in December 2010 to test in their beta program.  In the recent Pwn2Own and Pwnium3 hacking competitions Chrome OS appears to be unbreakable.  "Linux triumphant: Chrome OS resists cracking attempts".  This is the primary reason why I like my Chrome OS so much.  It is inherently designed as a simple and secure cloud-based OS that is very difficult to break.

Based on these recent events and how well Chrome OS has survived, you get a warm-and-fuzzy feeling knowing that using a Chromebook is more secure than any other operating system that I know of today.  In my gadget infested existence today, I know that I use all these operating systems daily: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, and ChromeOS.  Knowing that ChromeOS is so rock solid and near unbreakable gives me a really good feeling.

Chromebooks have been getting a lot of press the last few months also due to positive reviews of recent devices released into the market.  Linus Torvalds has been posting quite a bit on Google+ about his new Chromebook Pixel these past few weeks.  In addition several articles such as "Linus Torvalds really likes Google's Chromebook Pixel" acknowledge his viewpoints.  On a related side note, I am quite surprised how well my Cr-48 has stood the test of time and abuse being used around my house. 

Scrum Is The Most Populate Agile Method in 2013

Scrum is the most popular agile methodology for software development in 2013.  Scrum currently appears to be the most popular agile methodology since is relatively easy to implement. According to the VersionOne State of Agile Survey 2011, Scrum is used in more than two-thirds of agile projects which appears to be the  trend for the last few years.

In the Scrum methodology, a sprint is the basic unit of development as depicted in The Scrum process.    A sprint generally is a one to four week development iteration. Planning in Scrum is prescribed as a one to four hour intense but time limited endeavor.  (The Scrum Framework in 30 Seconds)

The Scrum process  (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrum_(development))

Scrum embraces the intent and spirit of the Agile Modeling (Ambler) approach. In order to avoid the big-design-up-front (BDUF) trap, Scrum places a time constraints (e.g., daily, weekly, 30-day) on its sprints.  Having spent many years researching and applying information technology, the one common denominator with all successful implementations of an agile methodology has always been the people or peopleware as coined by Tom DeMarco as I also like to call it.  In other words, the right people at the right time (peopleware) matter more than the agile methodology selected.

Agility in 2013

Agility is a popular buzzword today in the software development, systems engineering, and project management communities.  Agile approaches for software development have actually been around for a while now.  In its most recent incarnation, it is safe to say about 10-12 years or so depending on where you look for a historical background on modern agile techniques.

One aspect that I have noticed lately is that the term being agile is becoming overloaded, de-sensitized, and is losing its meaning.  At least in how I see it used in various forms.  I started to  write several articles on agility to elaborate on a very specific type of software development agility called test-driven development or TDD.  This approach is not the most popular agile methodology but is very effective and attains productivity, quality, and speed to delivery gains in my experience.