Introduction

I found an article by Ibrahim Ogunbiyi called Seven Best Practices for Managing Software Licenses. Just based on the title, it seemed to be what I was looking for. It starts off with the basics; what is software license management? According to Ogunbiyi, it’s simply “a document that provides guidelines for the use and distribution of software” (Ogunbiyi). It assists with the controlling, auditing, tracking, and management of a software in an organization and ensures that users comply with the regulations set in place.

Importance

The article discusses the importance of licenses. The reasons include but aren’t limited to:

• Legal compliance with regulations set by organizations/manufacturers
• Keeps track of software due dates; leads to productivity
• Helps manage/reduce costs through enhanced planning
• Optimizes software usage through usage and license tracking data
• Ensures only the use of authorized and secure software, avoiding malware or malicious attacks/breaches

At this point, I think many of those new to software licensing have already taken a huge step forward in their knowledge of the subject. It’s easy to dismiss licensing as something that only grand organizations deal with, but it can be necessary for any small business or individual who wants to protect their work. 

Best Practices

Finally, we reach the best practices as given by Ogunbiyi. In no particular order, these practices are: 

1. Documenting the process of obtaining the software
   1. Who, where, when, how it was purchased
   2. When it is due for renewal
   3. Keep documentation up to date and to certain standards
2. Centralize your list of software licenses
   1. This practice is good for organizations with multiple departments that each have separate licenses
3. Understand the agreements for your software license(s)
   1. Read terms and conditions
4. Use a software license management tool
   1. Assists in tracking, optimizing, and managing software licenses
5. Track license usage regularly
   1. Ensures compliance with rules and regulations
6. Make sure your software license(s) are up to date
   1. Keeps them tracked
   2. Prevents them from expiring
7. Teach employees about managing software licenses
   1. Ensures correct usage of software
   2. Keeps them knowledgeable about the license process and its guidelines

Why This Topic?

I chose this topic because it’s very underappreciated and not mentioned enough in the software development community (from my experience). This could also be useful for an organization or small team that is new to software development.

Conclusion

For me, this article was quite beneficial to my learning. Personally, I previously didn’t know anything about software licensing and the entire process about it. I won’t claim to be an expert on it now, but this article has helped me become a novice in understanding the subject. Although this article didn’t recommend specific licenses, it did teach me the process I should go about when acquiring or dealing with a license. In the future, when I am working on a project either individually or with a team, I’ll be more familiar with the guidelines and process around licensing, and can help my colleagues if they are unfamiliar.

From the blog CS@Worcester – Josh's Coding Journey by joshuafife and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

In the realm of computer science and web development, understanding the intricacies of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) is indispensable. My recent exploration into this subject led me to an enlightening IBM article about REST APIs, a cornerstone of modern web services and architecture. This article, fittingly titled “What is a REST API?” (IBM Article Link), delves into the principles and practices of RESTful APIs, offering a comprehensive overview that resonates deeply with our course material.

Selecting this resource was a no-brainer for me. The blend of theoretical concepts and practical applications it offers aligns perfectly with our current coursework on web development and API integration. The article’s clear delineation of REST API characteristics, alongside examples of their use in microservices architecture, provided a solid foundation for understanding their role in contemporary web development.

The six foundational principles of REST APIs, as elucidated in the article, were particularly enlightening. They include uniform interface, client-server decoupling, statelessness, cacheability, layered system architecture, and code on demand. Each principle contributes to the overall functionality and efficiency of web services, emphasizing the importance of a well-structured API.

What struck me most was the concept of statelessness in REST APIs. The idea that each request from a client to a server must contain all the information needed for the server to respond, without relying on any stored context, highlighted the need for efficient data management and transfer in web applications. This insight has reshaped my understanding of client-server interactions and will undoubtedly influence my future projects.

Furthermore, the article’s discussion on the importance of security in REST APIs, such as using OAuth 2.0 for authorization and HTTPS for secure data transmission, was particularly relevant. It underscored the critical nature of protecting data and maintaining user privacy, aspects I intend to prioritize in my future work.

In summary, this IBM article not only broadened my knowledge of REST APIs but also reinforced the importance of secure, efficient web development practices. The principles of RESTful design will be an integral part of my toolkit as I progress in my computer science career. I strongly recommend this resource to my peers for its clarity, depth, and relevance to our course.

As I continue my journey in computer science at Worcester, I am excited to apply these concepts in practical scenarios, especially in web development projects. This article has been a stepping stone in my understanding of how web technologies work in harmony to create seamless user experiences and secure, efficient web services.

Citation: “What is a REST API?” IBM. https://www.ibm.com/topics/rest-apis

From the blog CS@Worcester – Abe's Programming Blog by Abraham Passmore and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Hello and welcome back to another week of my blog. This week, I looked through chapter 5 of the book Apprenticeship Patterns by Dave Hoover named Perpetual Learning. One particular apprenticeship pattern I found interesting was “Record What You Learn.” This pattern is about taking notes and keeping track of what you learn in your journey as an apprentice or a learner. The idea is that if you write things down, you can look back on them later and remember what you’ve learned. Plus, by sharing your notes with others, you can improve your communication skills and help others learn too. There can be several ways to record what you have learned throughout your journey, such as constantly updating a journal, personal wiki, or writing a blog, such as me writing these blog posts when I learn about the different apprenticeship patterns. Those listed have only writing involved. Other ways you could record down what you have learned include making a drawing or even making video recordings of yourself. No matter what way you choose to record what you have learned, it is important to keep a date on them. This way, your recorded notes will be organized and sorted in chronological order.

I should start following this apprenticeship pattern especially since I tend to forget things that I have learned such as a stack versus a queue in Java. Sure, I could just look up what the differences are online, but actually writing it down in my own style would help me remember it more easily. In addition, if I forget anything in the future, I could always just refer back to my old notes. When I start incorporating this apprenticeship pattern into my journey, the main way I would like to take notes would be to find something digital and write stuff down in it. I prefer writing stuff down with a stylus, like using an Apple Pencil on an iPad, since I tend to remember things more when writing notes down rather than typing them out. I hope to start using “Record What You Learn” because it will be highly beneficial to my computer science career.

From the blog Comfy Blog by Angus Cheng and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Hello and welcome back to another week of my blog. This week, I looked through chapter 5 of the book Apprenticeship Patterns by Dave Hoover named Perpetual Learning. One particular apprenticeship pattern I found interesting was “Record What You Learn.” This pattern is about taking notes and keeping track of what you learn in your journey as an apprentice or a learner. The idea is that if you write things down, you can look back on them later and remember what you’ve learned. Plus, by sharing your notes with others, you can improve your communication skills and help others learn too. There can be several ways to record what you have learned throughout your journey, such as constantly updating a journal, personal wiki, or writing a blog, such as me writing these blog posts when I learn about the different apprenticeship patterns. Those listed have only writing involved. Other ways you could record down what you have learned include making a drawing or even making video recordings of yourself. No matter what way you choose to record what you have learned, it is important to keep a date on them. This way, your recorded notes will be organized and sorted in chronological order.

I should start following this apprenticeship pattern especially since I tend to forget things that I have learned such as a stack versus a queue in Java. Sure, I could just look up what the differences are online, but actually writing it down in my own style would help me remember it more easily. In addition, if I forget anything in the future, I could always just refer back to my old notes. When I start incorporating this apprenticeship pattern into my journey, the main way I would like to take notes would be to find something digital and write stuff down in it. I prefer writing stuff down with a stylus, like using an Apple Pencil on an iPad, since I tend to remember things more when writing notes down rather than typing them out. I hope to start using “Record What You Learn” because it will be highly beneficial to my computer science career.

From the blog Comfy Blog by Angus Cheng and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Hello and welcome back to another week of my blog. This week, I looked through chapter 5 of the book Apprenticeship Patterns by Dave Hoover named Perpetual Learning. One particular apprenticeship pattern I found interesting was “Record What You Learn.” This pattern is about taking notes and keeping track of what you learn in your journey as an apprentice or a learner. The idea is that if you write things down, you can look back on them later and remember what you’ve learned. Plus, by sharing your notes with others, you can improve your communication skills and help others learn too. There can be several ways to record what you have learned throughout your journey, such as constantly updating a journal, personal wiki, or writing a blog, such as me writing these blog posts when I learn about the different apprenticeship patterns. Those listed have only writing involved. Other ways you could record down what you have learned include making a drawing or even making video recordings of yourself. No matter what way you choose to record what you have learned, it is important to keep a date on them. This way, your recorded notes will be organized and sorted in chronological order.

I should start following this apprenticeship pattern especially since I tend to forget things that I have learned such as a stack versus a queue in Java. Sure, I could just look up what the differences are online, but actually writing it down in my own style would help me remember it more easily. In addition, if I forget anything in the future, I could always just refer back to my old notes. When I start incorporating this apprenticeship pattern into my journey, the main way I would like to take notes would be to find something digital and write stuff down in it. I prefer writing stuff down with a stylus, like using an Apple Pencil on an iPad, since I tend to remember things more when writing notes down rather than typing them out. I hope to start using “Record What You Learn” because it will be highly beneficial to my computer science career.

From the blog Comfy Blog by Angus Cheng and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Hello and welcome back to another week of my blog. This week, I looked through chapter 5 of the book Apprenticeship Patterns by Dave Hoover named Perpetual Learning. One particular apprenticeship pattern I found interesting was “Record What You Learn.” This pattern is about taking notes and keeping track of what you learn in your journey as an apprentice or a learner. The idea is that if you write things down, you can look back on them later and remember what you’ve learned. Plus, by sharing your notes with others, you can improve your communication skills and help others learn too. There can be several ways to record what you have learned throughout your journey, such as constantly updating a journal, personal wiki, or writing a blog, such as me writing these blog posts when I learn about the different apprenticeship patterns. Those listed have only writing involved. Other ways you could record down what you have learned include making a drawing or even making video recordings of yourself. No matter what way you choose to record what you have learned, it is important to keep a date on them. This way, your recorded notes will be organized and sorted in chronological order.

I should start following this apprenticeship pattern especially since I tend to forget things that I have learned such as a stack versus a queue in Java. Sure, I could just look up what the differences are online, but actually writing it down in my own style would help me remember it more easily. In addition, if I forget anything in the future, I could always just refer back to my old notes. When I start incorporating this apprenticeship pattern into my journey, the main way I would like to take notes would be to find something digital and write stuff down in it. I prefer writing stuff down with a stylus, like using an Apple Pencil on an iPad, since I tend to remember things more when writing notes down rather than typing them out. I hope to start using “Record What You Learn” because it will be highly beneficial to my computer science career.

From the blog Comfy Blog by Angus Cheng and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Hello and welcome back to another week of my blog. This week, I looked through chapter 5 of the book Apprenticeship Patterns by Dave Hoover named Perpetual Learning. One particular apprenticeship pattern I found interesting was “Record What You Learn.” This pattern is about taking notes and keeping track of what you learn in your journey as an apprentice or a learner. The idea is that if you write things down, you can look back on them later and remember what you’ve learned. Plus, by sharing your notes with others, you can improve your communication skills and help others learn too. There can be several ways to record what you have learned throughout your journey, such as constantly updating a journal, personal wiki, or writing a blog, such as me writing these blog posts when I learn about the different apprenticeship patterns. Those listed have only writing involved. Other ways you could record down what you have learned include making a drawing or even making video recordings of yourself. No matter what way you choose to record what you have learned, it is important to keep a date on them. This way, your recorded notes will be organized and sorted in chronological order.

I should start following this apprenticeship pattern especially since I tend to forget things that I have learned such as a stack versus a queue in Java. Sure, I could just look up what the differences are online, but actually writing it down in my own style would help me remember it more easily. In addition, if I forget anything in the future, I could always just refer back to my old notes. When I start incorporating this apprenticeship pattern into my journey, the main way I would like to take notes would be to find something digital and write stuff down in it. I prefer writing stuff down with a stylus, like using an Apple Pencil on an iPad, since I tend to remember things more when writing notes down rather than typing them out. I hope to start using “Record What You Learn” because it will be highly beneficial to my computer science career.

From the blog Comfy Blog by Angus Cheng and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Hello and welcome back to another week of my blog. This week, I looked through chapter 5 of the book Apprenticeship Patterns by Dave Hoover named Perpetual Learning. One particular apprenticeship pattern I found interesting was “Record What You Learn.” This pattern is about taking notes and keeping track of what you learn in your journey as an apprentice or a learner. The idea is that if you write things down, you can look back on them later and remember what you’ve learned. Plus, by sharing your notes with others, you can improve your communication skills and help others learn too. There can be several ways to record what you have learned throughout your journey, such as constantly updating a journal, personal wiki, or writing a blog, such as me writing these blog posts when I learn about the different apprenticeship patterns. Those listed have only writing involved. Other ways you could record down what you have learned include making a drawing or even making video recordings of yourself. No matter what way you choose to record what you have learned, it is important to keep a date on them. This way, your recorded notes will be organized and sorted in chronological order.

I should start following this apprenticeship pattern especially since I tend to forget things that I have learned such as a stack versus a queue in Java. Sure, I could just look up what the differences are online, but actually writing it down in my own style would help me remember it more easily. In addition, if I forget anything in the future, I could always just refer back to my old notes. When I start incorporating this apprenticeship pattern into my journey, the main way I would like to take notes would be to find something digital and write stuff down in it. I prefer writing stuff down with a stylus, like using an Apple Pencil on an iPad, since I tend to remember things more when writing notes down rather than typing them out. I hope to start using “Record What You Learn” because it will be highly beneficial to my computer science career.

From the blog Comfy Blog by Angus Cheng and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Hello and welcome back to another week of my blog. This week, I looked through chapter 5 of the book Apprenticeship Patterns by Dave Hoover named Perpetual Learning. One particular apprenticeship pattern I found interesting was “Record What You Learn.” This pattern is about taking notes and keeping track of what you learn in your journey as an apprentice or a learner. The idea is that if you write things down, you can look back on them later and remember what you’ve learned. Plus, by sharing your notes with others, you can improve your communication skills and help others learn too. There can be several ways to record what you have learned throughout your journey, such as constantly updating a journal, personal wiki, or writing a blog, such as me writing these blog posts when I learn about the different apprenticeship patterns. Those listed have only writing involved. Other ways you could record down what you have learned include making a drawing or even making video recordings of yourself. No matter what way you choose to record what you have learned, it is important to keep a date on them. This way, your recorded notes will be organized and sorted in chronological order.

I should start following this apprenticeship pattern especially since I tend to forget things that I have learned such as a stack versus a queue in Java. Sure, I could just look up what the differences are online, but actually writing it down in my own style would help me remember it more easily. In addition, if I forget anything in the future, I could always just refer back to my old notes. When I start incorporating this apprenticeship pattern into my journey, the main way I would like to take notes would be to find something digital and write stuff down in it. I prefer writing stuff down with a stylus, like using an Apple Pencil on an iPad, since I tend to remember things more when writing notes down rather than typing them out. I hope to start using “Record What You Learn” because it will be highly beneficial to my computer science career.

From the blog Comfy Blog by Angus Cheng and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Hello and welcome back to another week of my blog. This week, I looked through chapter 5 of the book Apprenticeship Patterns by Dave Hoover named Perpetual Learning. One particular apprenticeship pattern I found interesting was “Record What You Learn.” This pattern is about taking notes and keeping track of what you learn in your journey as an apprentice or a learner. The idea is that if you write things down, you can look back on them later and remember what you’ve learned. Plus, by sharing your notes with others, you can improve your communication skills and help others learn too. There can be several ways to record what you have learned throughout your journey, such as constantly updating a journal, personal wiki, or writing a blog, such as me writing these blog posts when I learn about the different apprenticeship patterns. Those listed have only writing involved. Other ways you could record down what you have learned include making a drawing or even making video recordings of yourself. No matter what way you choose to record what you have learned, it is important to keep a date on them. This way, your recorded notes will be organized and sorted in chronological order.

I should start following this apprenticeship pattern especially since I tend to forget things that I have learned such as a stack versus a queue in Java. Sure, I could just look up what the differences are online, but actually writing it down in my own style would help me remember it more easily. In addition, if I forget anything in the future, I could always just refer back to my old notes. When I start incorporating this apprenticeship pattern into my journey, the main way I would like to take notes would be to find something digital and write stuff down in it. I prefer writing stuff down with a stylus, like using an Apple Pencil on an iPad, since I tend to remember things more when writing notes down rather than typing them out. I hope to start using “Record What You Learn” because it will be highly beneficial to my computer science career.

From the blog Comfy Blog by Angus Cheng and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.