Bells and whistles aside, a magazine is only as good as its content. In a world that’s fit to burst with information (and the carnival barking that passes for marketing) I hope that Red Canary delivers on its mandate: to provide a friendly window on Canada’s software industry.

Here are my favourite articles from the past year. Please add yours in the comments area below.

1. Soccer, startups and fire-in-the-belly
Mario Laudi makes a strong point about the kind of people who help startups succeed.

2. The Sandvine way
Born in the ashes of the dot-com crash, Waterloo-based Sandvine has a unique beginning and perspective on talent. Scott Valentine tells their story well.

3. Ashok Kalle: Benevolence and good business on the ‘Pathway’ to success
Jessica Lam crafts a fine piece about a fine human being who led Pathway communications through ups and downs and continues to give new Canadians opportunities in technology.

4. Teching the plunge: Going from a large company to a small one
Three professionals talk about why they love the startup life. This article should be required reading for anyone who’s considering joining a young company.

5. 290,307 reasons why this is the best marketing I’ve ever seen from a Canadian technology company
The writer is clearly a hack, but it’s hard to cloud the fact that when it comes to web-savvy marketing, Bluecat is in a class by itself. Enjoy the videos.

6. Hiring Software Testers in an Information Age
Paul Carvalho presents a well-written and comprehensive document here. Even if you aren’t a testing professional, this piece will give you insight into the discipline’s complexity. I’m honoured that Paul shared it with Red Canary.