FindBugs: a Code syntax and bug/improvement analyzer

A couple of years ago I was impressed by the code analyzer feature in Oracle’s JDeveloper – it checked you code for unused variables, infinite loops etc – a useful utility to get a sceond opinion on your code (although never a replacement for a code review with other experienced developers).

The FindBugs project on SourceForge is a similar utility. Looks like it finds an impressive range of different bugs and areas for optimization.

Microsoft recruit blogger voluteers to spread the word about Longhorn

In a desperate attempt to increase enduser awareness of the new features in the next upcoming (and overly delayed) Windows release, Microsoft has recruited a team of non-MS employees to spread the marketing word on behalf of Microsoft.

This is a strange attempt to increase consumer awareness, but one that just might work: seed the community with people with inside knowledge to start discussions and speculation about upcoming features, and hype up the product. I’m sure this has been done before many times with different media types, but it’s the first time I’ve heard it being done with bloggers.