Frequently Asked Questions About developer.*

What's going on here?

developer.* is an independent web site for software developers, students, researchers, instructors, managers, quality engineers, and everyone in between. We are a home to a diverse array of voices and topics. You never know who or what is going to pop up on the site.

The developer.* web site has two "sides":

On the Articles side of the site we publish edited articles, essays, interviews, and book excerpts. These articles go through a process of writing, rewriting, editing, and polishing. The mix of topics is partly based on the ideas our volunteer authors bring to the table and partly on the diverse interests of the site's editor.

On the Blogs side of the site, posts are not edited or orchestrated. People post when they want to and write about what inspires them. Many of the people who post here also post on other sites or even run their own blogs and sites.

Some people post one time and never again, some people post every once in awhile, some people post every week.

Some people mostly contribute comments, and some people prefer just to hang back and read.

Some people register for a free account, some people do not.

All of these arrangements are just fine by us. The idea behind the developer.* Blogs is to be a welcome space for ideas and information. We strive to keep the discussion respectful and civil, without people being shouted down or shunned. (If you're interested in contributing yourself, keep reading.)

This site is also the home of our book publishing imprint called developer.* Books. We are an independent publisher of diverse and interesting software development books designed to appeal to thoughtful and curious software people.

Can I post here? What can I post?

If your interested in writing something related to software development, then yes, you are most welcome post on the developer.* Blogs web site.

As far as what kind of content is appropriate, beyond obvious things like not posting racist screeds or explicit adult material or instructions for making a bomb, we really only have two requests: first, we ask that you please stick to software-related topics, and second, we ask that you not use developer.* as a platform for promotion. Posts and comments that are explicit or thinly veiled attempts to direct traffic to your web site or promote your product or service will be removed from the site.

Our interpretation of "related to software development" is fairly broad, and is definitely not limited to technical topics. There are surely thousands of topics that could fit somewhere under this large umbrella, and I am a big believer in the idea that ideas, practices, and lessons from other disciplines can inform software development. If you're not sure if people will see the relevance, you can make it more explicit in your treatment of the topic.

Hardcore technical topics are definitely welcome in the blogging area. Tell us about your favorite design patterns, algorithms, and solutions. Feel free to post example code, scripts, or whole projects (let us know and we can help you host the files). How-to and problem/solution posts tend to be very popular on the site over time because the search engines send lots of people to read them.

What if I'm not sure I want to commit to blogging on a regular basis?

In a lot of forums, starting a blog is something of a big deal--there is an expectation that you're going to keep up with the blog regularly over an extended period of time. This creates pressure, and libraries could be filled with the blogs that have been started and subsequently abandoned. Our philosophy with the developer.* Blogs site is that we would like the space to be welcome for people who only want to post once, or post occassionaly, or who aren't sure whether the whole blogging thing will have a lasting appeal.

The community format and diverse flow of topics means that there is no pressure for you to commit to a certain number of posts or a certain frequency. Post what inspires you when you're inspired to do so.

We have observed that people who want to establish an identity as a blogger and blog on a regular basis tend to want to start their own site, or to start a standalone blog on a site like blopspot. If you are seeking a format that will allow you to personalize your space and work on a unique identity, then the format at developer.* might not be for you.

That said, it does not have to be an either-or proposition. Some people who post regularly on developer.* have one or more blogs or sites already, and still come to developer.* to read, post, and comment.

What about writing for the Articles side of the site?

Contributions of articles, essays, book reviews, book excerpts, interviews, etc. are always welcome. Please consult this page for more information.

Are developer.* blogs edited or moderated in any way?

As editor of this web site, I try to exert as little editorial control over the blogs as possible. There are occasions where I might need to step in an moderate, or even modify a post. I will never do this without good reason, though, and I'll do my best to communicate with you about it if it ever comes up. Sometimes there are HTML errors that need to be corrected, broken links, or an obvious formatting error of some kind. Legal concerns that put the developer.* web site and me personally at risk might also come up. This sort of thing should be rare, though, and the intent is for anything with your name attached to it to be from *you*.

That said, if you are unsure about your writing ability, grammar, etc., feel free to send me your post in advance, and I'll be happy to work on it with you.

What is the copyright arrangement for content posted in developer.* blogs?

Please click here to read the copyright statement for content posted on developer.*. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Are there any rules or etiquette I should follow?

Rules? Just the obvious stuff: please don't post anything that could get me in trouble, like someone else's copyrighted material, adult material, racist propaganda, or slanderous/libelous material.

Etiquette? Again, just the obvious stuff: please be polite, please be respectful of other's opinions, please don't steal or plagiarize. Remember that there is another human being, with much more in common with you than different, on the other end of every discussion.

Pretend your boss is reading (and he or she may very well be). Remember that what you write is available for all the world to see for years and years to come.