Simple, lightweight Java development
Through the short arc in the history of the software development industry, developers have taken on ever larger and more complex problems. Programmed routines became formalized as components; applications were developed to communicate with each other, creating building blocks that allowed software architects to erect ambitious towers of code resembling the Biblical Babel. The result was a crisis in software development in the 1990s, where it became evident that the complex systems under development were becoming impossible to control.
There have been several responses to this crisis, and one of the most promising is the move toward lightweight development. This movement embraces the principle of simplicity, and by reducing the complexity of the code, other aspects of a project — performance, testing, maintenance, management — are likewise made easier to address.
At 2Paths, we focus on Java enterprise development, which allows us to address enterprise-scale problems that are out of reach from more limited technologies such as Microsoft VisualBasic and PHP. We maintain simplicity through our commitment to using lightweight, open source technologies, including Spring and Hibernate — which are well-accepted in the movement — as well as our own Tequila framework. To make the most effective use of these tools, we also incorporate lightweight coding practices whenever possible, such as adhering to an architecture based on REST and a POJO-driven domain.
In addition, we follow lightweight development processes. Our agile methodology is based on XP and Scrum, with elements of each chosen when most applicable to our own business. We practice test-driven development to allow us the freedom to nimbly change direction as our clients’ needs require. The resulting test framework allows us to effectively refactor our code, extending our lightweight development long into the lifecycle of our projects.
The focus on lightweight development contributes to our simplicity, leaving us more free to concentrate on productivity and refinement, while leveraging accepted best practices in our industry.
