Don’t believe the hype.

I’ve been in this industry for over a decade now, and the one thing I’ve learnt is that you should never believe the hype. Technologies come and go, things get superceded, things improve. You just need to look at the technologies or frameworks that are no longer with us, such as Flash and those that…

3 Reasons you should use a Clipboard Manager

I bet you’re reading this because you don’t use a clipboard manager. Some of you may not even know what a clipboard manager is. In a nutshell, a clipboard manager is a computer program that adds functionality to an operating system’s clipboard. Many clipboards provide only one buffer for the “copy and paste” function, and…

Coding Concepts - Cargo cult programming

Cargo cult programming is a style of computer programming characterized by the ritual inclusion of code or program structures that serve no real purpose. Cargo cult programming is typically symptomatic of a programmer not understanding either a bug they were attempting to solve or the apparent solution

Are you an Incompetent Developer?

One of the most interesting parts of software development, are the group dynamics that form to complete the task at hand. This congregation of individuals compromise many different areas of expertise, personality and skill. Neil Green has created this fantastic website describing these personality patterns that arise in software projects. The reasons these personalities exist,…

A Hackathon Guide - What to do, How to do it & Who to do it with?

Definition: Courtesy of Wikipedia, A hackathon (also known as a hack day, hackfest or codefest) is a design sprint-like event in which computer programmers and others involved in software development, including graphic designers, interface designers, project managers, and others, often including subject-matter-experts, collaborate intensively on software projects.[1] The goal of a hackathon is to create usable software or hardware with the goal of creating a functioning product by the end…

Code Review Checklist

Code reviews are necessary to ensure your application is consistent. We live in an age of copy-and-paste craftsmen, so making sure that the bits that do get copied are correct is imperative for this approach to keep on working! There are many articles out there telling you why code reviews are important, why you should…

Code Talk - September

It’s that time of the month again. Here are the most interesting posts I’ve found on the web this month. Happy reading. Planning doesn’t have to be the enemy of agile https://hbr.org/2018/09/planning-doesnt-have-to-be-the-enemy-of-agile Most tech companies will now follow an agile approach to their development cycle. Planning is an important cornerstone of management, and coordinating and…

Coding Concepts - Cyclomatic Complexity

Cyclomatic what? Even spell check doesn’t recognise the word, but it’s a super useful software metric for understanding how your software works. Having read about it a few years ago, it apparent use seems to have deteriorated. I feel it’s a very valuable tool in a developer’s arsenal, and something that should be used in…

No Frills Keyboard Shortcuts (with Gifs) every Developer Should Follow

Shortcuts for me are the most productive thing that a developer can add to their repertoire that will aid them through their entire career. Learning how to use your system and tools will improve your productivity and in general make traversing all your windows and apps a breeze. The mouse is a great, tool, but…