I hate non-deterministic tests, which is why I strive for a completely fresh testing environment for each and every test. In-memory databases make this much easier (and faster). Python makes it easy to construct file-like objects for tests instead of relying on files on a filesystem. When testing an application which must hit the filesystem, … Read more
Luke Wroblewski’s critique of touch-screen GUIs for apps for toddlers reminds us that children do not react to interfaces as adults would. Most adults (well, not me) have at least some patience with computer interfaces. Modal dialogs are tolerable. Buttons are generally understood to require only one action (ie. click or tap) before they respond.
We use SVN at work. I use git-svn to manage my commits and give me faster local access to changes. I suppose I may be guilty of some of the lies Paul Stadig speaks of in his article.
I use git add -p to cherry pick changes, git stash to set aside incomplete changes, and … Read more
I am a big fan of simple coding tests to pre-screen applicants for developer positions. With search and forums, coding tests, if not written correctly, will simply test an applicant’s ability to search. I tend to write simple questions which will likely yield a sub-optimal answer through search, but a more optimal answer based on … Read more
This article by Annalee Newitz echoes some of my thoughts on the supposed coming singularity. Like it or not, the future is driven by business. Now, I believe in the benefits of The Market—it’s given us some great things—but let’s not fool ourselves. The same people who will make the nanobots which will keep our … Read more
Avichal Garg argues that hiring a well-rounded, well-coordinated team which plays off its members’ strengths goes farther than hiring a single well-rounded developer.
I like the concept, but it’s light on evidence. Is there supporting data, not anecdotes, that hiring such a 10x team is more economical than hiring a smaller group of so-called … Read more
David Mark, that JavaScript curmudgeon, wrote a detailed approach in comp.lang.javascript to the attaching and detaching of event listeners, depending on context and browser. It’s quite possibly more information than you require, but a great resource with no doubts to its accuracy. I’m bookmarking this so that I may confirm the existence of prior volumes … Read more
If you ever get an error message of “configure: error: C compiler cannot create executables” when executing brew install readline, then do what’s suggested in a related Homebrew issue:
brew edit readline Comment out the line which starts with ENV.universal_binary. Re-execute your previous brew install … Read more
Maciej Fijalkowski made JSON parsing in PyPy (pure Python) faster than in CPython. Here’s how he did it, with lessons which can be applied to other optimizations.