Pragmatic Automation

Got Project Automation?

Read all about how project automation can save you time and make your life easier in my ONJava.com article titled Got Project Automation?.

Project Automation On the Mac

Last week I gave a talk at the O'Reilly Mac OS X Conference on how to use your Mac to automate your Xcode projects. It’s a slight twist on the automation tool set described in the book, using all the same automation techniques. The slides are available here.

The conference was a lot of fun and the people were great. What stuck with me was how important it is to visit communities of people that use different tools to build software. The tools we use influence how we go about solving problems and making good software. By temporarily moving to a different technology neighborhood, so to speak, you get to see and hear things from a different perspective. And the next time you’re faced with solving a problem, you have one more colorful piece in your mosaic of options.

Many thanks to O’Reilly for inviting me out to speak and for putting on a fantastic show. Thanks also to all the people who attended, shared their ideas, welcomed an outsider with open arms, and showed up to my talk.

Upcoming Project Automation Talks

I’m currently scheduled to speak on Pragmatic Project Automation at the following venues through the remainder of the year:

Great Lakes Software Symposium in Chicago, IL on October 1st

Denver JUG in Denver, CO on October 13th

Boulder JUG in Boulder, CO on October 14th

New England Software Symposium in Boston, MA on October 22nd

O'Reilly Mac OS X Conference in Santa Clara, CA on October 27th

Rocky Mountain Software Symposium in Denver, CO on November 12th

Western Canada Java Software Symposium in Calgary, Alberta on November 19th

If one of those places is in your neck of the woods, I’d love to hear in person how you’re using automation on your project. A few companies have contacted me about speaking on this topic privately to their teams. I enjoy visiting projects, meeting new folks, and talking about automation, so let me know if you’re interested in that kind of thing.

Pragmatic Project Automation Excerpts Available

Pragmatic Project Automation has gone to the printers! It will be available for purchase on or about July 19th. But there’s no need to delay getting started. Three chapter excerpts are now available for download.

Table Of Contents is just what you’d expect: an outline of what’s covered in the 150-page book.

Introduction starts with a fun story about how automation saves the day for two caveman programmers. Then it explains the whys and hows of automation, and shows the roap map for the rest of the book.

Scheduled Builds is an advanced chapter that shows you, step by step, how to set up and run automated builds on a schedule using CruiseControl.

Enjoy!