Hacking: Hackers and Crackers

When I read and heard the word “hacking,” I think of hackers breaking into your email account or your social media profile and stealing your personal information. Hacking could be considered a major threat to us. My dear friend, Urban Dictionary, defines hacking, in computer terminology, as “the gaining of access (wanted or unwanted) to a computer and viewing, copying, or creating data without the intention of destroying data or maliciously harming the computer.” There are good hackers (such as Homeland Security personnel) who try to protect the citizens of the United States against internal terrorism. On the other hand, there are “crackers” who can gain unauthorized access to your personal accounts. I, for one, believe that “crackers” can cause chaos in one’s life, stealing their social security, bank account numbers, personal emails, etc. Sometimes the damage done is so great that is irretrievable.

In an ABC News article titled “15-Year-Old Admits Hacking NASA Computers,” a 15-year-old boy “caused a 21-day shutdown of NASA computers that support the international space station, and invaded a Pentagon weapons computer system to intercept 3,300 emails, steal passwords and cruise around like an employee.” This boy, using the pseudo-name of “c0mrade,” has been identified as the first and youngest hacker imprisoned for computer crimes. He is currently serving six months of imprisonment in a state detention facility. Two different things might have been going through his head while committing the crime. First, he might have been thinking that he is the smartest teenager in the United States and would be recognized for his intelligence. However, this backfired on him. Second, he might have been under the impression what he was doing would be harmless. Whereas now, we know the extend of damages he has caused.

If you have the prominent programming skills, why not put them in greater use?

OpenSource: OpenProj vs. Microsoft Project

 

I would like to discuss the gist and the similarities and differences between OpenProj and Microsoft Project. OpenProj is an alternative Window-based tool to Microsoft project, but has “a similar user interface (UI) and a similar approach to construction of a project plan” (Wikipedia). You could say that OpenProj and Microsoft Project were mostly related to each other. This application has accessibility to operate project management in a disciplined way, such as tracking your work, establishing accurate project plans, and so on. It even creates visual schedules for keeping track of your project tasks such as Gantt charts (like the one from above). 

Now that we know the description of OpenProj, I will show you the similarities and differences. According to the article from Bright Hub PM, “Microsoft Project vs. OpenProj,” there are few similarities, but many differences. However, for the scope of this blog, I will enlist the most significant and important differences for the users.

Similarities

• Resource management
• Scheduling
• Custom features (i.e. validation rules, workflow rules, and custom actions) 

Differences

• OpenProj is free, but $849 for Microsoft Project
• OpenProj has a Java platform, not Microsoft Project
• OpenProj has no project portfolio management, but Microsoft Project does
• OpenProj has blogging capability

In my opinion, OpenProj may be ineffective for project management users based on its accessibility and accountability. Sometimes it can be helpful for your project schedules, but it may not be easy to work with on a weekly basis. I finally come to a conclusion that for me, it would be difficult to work with OpenProj.

Agile: The Process of Software Development Methodology

What is Agile Software Development and what does it do? Agile Software Development is a collection of iterative and incremental software development methodologies, which “promotes adaptive planning, evolutionary development and delivery, a time-boxed iterative approach, and encourages rapid and flexible response to change”(Wikipedia). If you take a glance at the image on to your left, this shows you an Agile development cycle and how its process can create better results through technical thinking and improvement. Every time a software development team has to build a project for customers/clients, they need to put their minds together to make innovative ideas and test their results.

One example of Agile from the article, "How Agile Thinking Leads to Better Branding", is an approach that can lead to better branding. Simon Ward, chief executive of brand consultancy Holmes & Merchant, states the importance of Agile as:

• Providing customers' needs
• Lowering risks in marketing and design
• Continuing brand enhancement
• Allocating budget to enhance Agile thinking based on consumers
• Increasing Agile thinkers in the marketing department of companies

With the rapid growth of technology and the high demand of consumers, Agile marketers are needed in every corporation. This can be achieved by being innovative and collaborative in developing and providing the customers' needs and demands.