A JavaScript budget for the browser
Craig Hockenberry has posted an interesting proposal about limiting the amount of JS loaded by a web page. I understand that the implementation can be complicated but that’s not a reason to not try. We could proceed step by step. Instead of building such limits in the browsers right away we could start with a simple extension that kicks in and tells you “This website is using too much memory/CPU”. It’s not a solution but it’s a good start to incentivize developers to be less sloppy.
Weekly cleanup
Do you clean your office once a week? Or somebody does it for you? Do you shower once a day (more or less)? Do you trim your nails periodically? How often do you clean/update the dependencies in your software projects? Every guru solopreneur would likely tell you that, instead of doing “work that nobody notices”, you should grind, do more marketing, grow your audience and sell more. And yet, if nobody takes care of your code base, it will decay.
Podrover Diaries: Table views with load more at the bottom
Podrover Diaries is a series about my adventures in building Podrover, a service to track, collect and share your podcast reviews. Subscribe to the RSS feed or join my newsletter to stay up to date with upcoming adventures. “Why there isn’t a built-in component to make this?” I remember this question rolling in my head as I was building this allegedly simple feature in Podrover. You have seen this pattern many times:
Taking the time
I usually build a feature, deploy it (after testing :) and rush writing the announcement. Then I move on to the next task. No games, no ceremony. This time I want to take some more time. I want to slow down. Last week I deployed a big new feature in Podrover, but didn’t announce it yet. It’s hidden, but working. I kept an eye on the performance in the last few days.
No alternative to macOS (for now)
I have been keeping my eyes open for alternatives for quite a while. So when I read Wesley’s post it resonated quite a bit. My search was a little adventure. On purpose I started by ignoring hardware compatibility issues. I simulated a hypothetical PC with a Virtual Box machine. I know it’s a big assumption. Still … I started simple, with a calendar. I need one. I am used to the one on macOS and iOS.
Front end vs back end programming
When I work on the front end (mostly iOS/Mac apps) I feel constantly involved. Write, compile, run, verify. Rinse and repeat. There are no dead moments, unless you are compiling a big project in Swift. I am sucked in by the task at hand, I hammer it until it’s solved and then I move on to the next one. When I work on the back end things are more laid-back. There are dead moments because some tasks take time, either CPU or network time.
Who will I work with?
I got interviewed for a bunch of roles in the past years, but not recently. I think the last time was around two years ago. My preferred part is always when the interviewer asks “any questions for me?”. I am not very interested in the vacation policy or the allowance for hardware. I have a bunch of ready questions like: what’s the pace like? which other company would you join?
Static Types vs Unit Tests
Only 36% “see the value” of static types. In contrast, 62% – nearly twice as many – see the value of unit testing. Developers are nearly twice as likely to “enjoy using” unit tests (33%) as compared with static types (18%). Empirical Analysis of Programming Language Adoption source I am usually skeptical about papers like this. There’s a lot to pay attention to in surveys. For example:
40 and still cranking code
Do not worry about hype. Keep doing your thing, keep learning what you were learning, and move on. Pay attention to it only if you have a genuine interest, or if you feel that it could bring you some benefit in the medium or long run. Adrian Kosmaczewski source I really enjoyed this talk by Adrian Kosmaczewski. I can relate with many of the messages he sent out.
Aren't Storyboards supposed to tell a story?
In the last few months I have read some interesting articles about “Coordinator” objects. Some they call it Flow Controllers, some coordinators. I admit I like the idea of having an object collecting the navigation logic. As a side effect you end up with slimmer and easier-to-test view controllers. Win-win. Now. Maybe it’s the word itself, maybe I conceptualized it in a wrong way. Isn’t a storyboard supposed to do exactly that?
No SCM
I am not using a Source Code Management (SCM) system for my products, neither for AppVersion nor for Podrover. People look at me in a weird way when I say it. Here’s why. It’s just me. I am the only developer. There’s no need of sharing the code base with somebody. I save some time. Maybe not a lot. Maybe ten minutes a week. That’s a work day a year.
On Forcing
“You have to wash your teeth”. “No”. If you are a parent this might be a common scene to you. This happens pretty often with my kids when I try to force them to do something. Usually my technique to persuade them is argumentative. “If you don’t floss daily you will probably have a bad tooth, that will hurt, and we’ll have to go to the dentist”. It takes a while but eventually they understand.
Why Your App Needs A Walkthrough
This article first appeared in issue #5 of App Ville. Thanks Tope for allowing me to repost it here. There has been some heat around walkthroughs in mobile apps. I think it all started with the bold post by Max Rudberg, If you see a UI walkthrough, they blew it. Here is another take on the subject. And by the end of this article, you will understand why you need a walkthrough if you are truly innovative.
On App.net Going Freemium
Yes, it happened. Dalton and colleagues did it: they went fremium. While I am not a huge fan of this business model I think it’s a huge step ahead. Here is why. We are used to free (and it’s wrong) Facebook free, Twitter free. All free. This is hugely misleading. Do you know how many people will quit using WhatsApp if they have to pay $0.99 (yes ONLY 0.99) a year?
On boredom in the Apple land
Boredom has come. It was inevitable. After a rush of four years we are now not stunned anymore. Those holding that “wow” for one year will have to keep it for future events. “Apple is not innovating anymore”. “Skeuomorphism? I don’t like it”. Twitter is full of this messages. My intention is far from defending Apple. They have a big marketing machine and many lawyers, so they don’t need my defense.