Other software ideas

These aren't related to ArgoUML, but, since they are strongly related to software, they'll be registered here.

Emacs Lisp Unit

Build a unit test framework for Emacs Lisp and with that learn more about Emacs Lisp. Upsss, there is already ElUnit and behave.el.

Contribute to jnil

jnil is an open source project by a colleague from SISCOG, Tiago Maduro Dias. Initially I wanted to join some open source Common Lisp project and the prospect of being able to pair program an open source project with a more experienced Common Lisp developer was very interesting. Unfortunately, I didn't want to leave ArgoUML without reaching a feeling of closure, so, I never joined. It is still an interesting idea...

Genetic programming based in the Common Lisp Condition System

Since I read about the idea of evolving software with genetic algorithms, I was fascinated by it. When I really learned about the Common Lisp Condition System and its capability to offer restarts I wandered if it would be possible to combine the two to provide a way to avoid the need to have mutations to generate correct Common Lisp. It might be a good way to make safe boundaries between mutated code and stable code, to avoid infinite loops, deadlocks, etc.

FitNess Common Lisp adapter

Create an adapter for Common Lisp for FitNess, to enable using this acceptance test framework in Common Lisp projects. With ABCL maturing very fast and being well supported, I wonder if this would be difficult at all.

Learn Clojure

Give myself some time to learn Clojure.

Develop organization absences planer in Google App Engine

The process(es) that organizations normally use to plan their collaborators vacations and absences are usually document driven and the verifications and checks of accordance with the rules and legislation manual. I suffer from this at SISCOG and in SIEMENS, although it wasn't document based, it lacked considering the organization needs, like to have a minimum number of persons in a certain development team available at all times in a year. It didn't considered previous history, like a certain person always not getting his vacations in the Christmas season while others always get them.

It would be a perfect opportunity to learn web development techniques in a restrained platform such as Google App Engine, but, possibly using a JVM based language, such as Clojure or Jython. I wanted also to show this at SISCOG, to have a demo-able example of a Cloud based application, which someday SISCOG may want to try with more commercial purposes...

Online git repositories

I started using distributed revision control systems (DRCS) a while ago, first with mercurial (hg), then with Git, when my ex-colleague Tom Schutzer-Weissmann created a system to import the SISCOG repositories from the in-house defined format (CRM/CRI) into Git. Currently the Git repositories are being used by several persons in SISCOG, but, I still haven't been able to proceed with the work enough to consider the proposal of a switch or a pilot.

Currently I'm more familiar with Git, but, my problem is that I'm not cooperating online using one of these DRCSs. So, I wanted to setup a GitHub account and move in there some of my repositories and potentially host there a fork of ArgoUML. By having a Git based ArgoUML fork, I would have a much easier life in working offline with contributions and a much nicer sandbox to experiment ideas and patches. This I know for sure, because I have been using the branching features of Git in SISCOG for some time with a huge success and satisfaction.

Finish reading Practical Common Lisp

I stopped reading Practical Common Lisp in the chapter 23. Practical: A Spam Filter. I should give myself some time to finish reading and exercising the book. While at it, I should buy a copy of it, since it is excellent and I would have something physical to borrow to newcomers at SISCOG.

Proceeding with ideas on books to read, On Lisp, by Paul Graham is high on my Lisp related books and several others I placed in my Amazon wish lists.