If it seems like I have been posting a little less then normal, it is because I am running around trying to get things ready for the new baby. The wife and I are expected our first little one any day now and we are pretty excited about it. Here are May’s best links from around the web.

• Workaholics Fixate On Inconsequential Details – Absolutely loved this revelation, and it really makes you think about people who always seem to find extra work to do. A must read.
• Why Arrays Start At Zero – Karl hits one out of the park on an oldie but a goodie…honestly, never even contested why this is the case.
• Why Unit Testing Is So Important? – An article about an old hat argument but was very well written.
• The Perfect Job Interview Question – The few articles Jurgen has written on the topic of finding resources have been good (probably because I think in the same fashion), but this article was especially good.
• Why I’m A Better Software Developer Than You – An egotistical look at why some developers are better than others (but we all know that I am the best :P)

The role of technical manager is inherently flawed by nature.

It is insanely rare that you can find someone who is both technically competent and has the people management skills to accomplish this job – so already you are working against the odds. Jurgen’s recent opinion that most software developers are utterly unqualified for such a position, although it comes off a bit harsh, it is probably just as valid a statement as saying that most people-only managers are utterly unqualified to manage technology.

Now, this is why I believe that the technically competent manager is as magical or mysterious as the Loch Ness…

The attrition rate of your understanding and skills is directly proportional at the rate of which your environment changes. This isn’t like building a bridge, bridges have been the same for thousands of years, thus being promoted to a bridge building foreman it would be safe to bet that your last 20 years of bridge building knowledge will suit you just fine until retirement.

This logic just does not hold true in technology. Although you may have an opportunity to code, you are not coding enough to really understand the quirks and turns that a particular software niche contains as it moves and grows.

Even roles such as being an architect take you away from the basic skills that have caused the promotion. These are all very flawed roles by nature.

Perhaps I have been reading to many Zen or Tao books where the core message is to be truly great at something it must be the single thing that you do. And from that perspective the technical manager will always be flawed since it is two roles in one.

A long time ago, on a page far, far away – I created a post called 7 Ways To Piss Me Off and Not Buy Your Software, and it caught the attention of the CMO of Atlassian, Jon Silvers.

Codesqueeze is nearing it’s 1st birthday in a couple of weeks, and I wanted to take a timeout to give a sincere “Thank You” to a company that has supported this blog since the near beginning – Atlassian.

A lot of people have never heard of Atlassian, let alone know how many really cool things they do for the software community, so I am going to take time out and outline a few.

1. They heavily support nonprofit and open source with tools. – If you are part of a non-profit organization, charity, or OS project, you can apply for free licenses of their tools. The ultra-cool way to get people using your stuff and spreading the word.

2. They support your UG meetings. – Want some free swag? Want some free pizza or booze? Atlassian will also support your user group meetings. Another ultra-cool way to get your brand out there and make fans.

3. They support blogs – Codesqueeze has been proudly sponsored by Atlassian for almost 6 months now! They have provided me with laptop bags, t-shirts, and free software which all ends up in the readers hands…(and there is more to come…)

4. They build cool tools – I have been a long time fan of the bug tracking tool – Jira; however, I have had the pleasure of working with many of their apps in harmony (Clover, FishEye, Jira, Crucible). A buddy of mine recently installed the new Bamboo 2.0 and said it was absolutely fantastic and seamless (I haven’t played with it yet).

5. They are down-to-earth. – When I first posted my 7 Ways To Piss Me Off post, Jon was very quick to respond with a sigh of relief knowing that it wasn’t his company that had caused the frustration, but yet he took the time to follow up with many emails asking about my concerns, and later we even had many phone calls about a number of topics. I don’t think you have to be old-fashioned to appreciate that level of support.

So, I know that this post may be a little corny, but regardless of what space your company is writing software for – there are lessons to be learned here on how to support, grow, and treat your clients, prospects, and overall community.

Thanks Atlassian, keep the good work.