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SEARCH KEYWORD -- Ruby

  What are some lesser known but useful Unix commands?

A few that come to mind, some less known, some more: xargs or parallel: run things in parallel, with lots of options sed and awk: more well-known but still super useful for processing text files, and faster than Python or Ruby m4: simple macro processor screen: powerful terminal multiplexing and session persistence yes: print a string a lot cal: nice calendar env: run a command (useful in scripts) look: find English words (or lines in a file) beginning with a string cut and paste and join: data...

   Linux,Unix,Command,Less used     2011-12-27 09:27:49

  Don't Overload #nil?

There’s a popular post on Hacker News about writing confident code by, among other things, overloading Object#nil? and returning “null objects” instead of nil itself.DO NOT DO THIS.In Ruby, all objects (except nil itself) coerce to the boolean value true. Your object will be nil and true at the same time. Bad things will happen. Your coworkers will cry. Sad people from around the world will ask bewildering questions on your mailing list.Here’s what happen...

   Ruby,#nil,Overload,Object     2011-11-10 10:50:22

  CSS Tools: Reset CSS

The goal of a reset stylesheet is to reduce browser inconsistencies in things like default line heights, margins and font sizes of headings, and so on. The general reasoning behind this was discussed in a May 2007 post, if you're interested. Reset styles quite often appear in CSS frameworks, and the original "meyerweb reset" found its way into Blueprint, among others. The reset styles given here are intentionally very generic. There isn't any default color or background set for the bod...

   CSS,Cross browser compatibility,Reset,Partial reset     2011-12-05 02:44:11

  Programming language choices for an IT manager

A TechRepublic reader named Aaron emailed me and posed excellent questions; here’s an excerpt from his email:“I manage a small IT department and all my skills are self-taught. At times I struggle with complex business initiatives and I believe if I had some programming skills I would be more adept at handling the initiatives. Can you recommend a programming language? Is formal education the best path or have you found that programming can be self-taught?”I’m sure a lot ...

   IT Manager,Programming,Skills,Programming knowledge     2011-10-21 08:37:10

  PHP sucks (but, some frameworks don't)

I started web development with PHP, and I've decided I've had enough. Why? Keep reading.PHP (the language) sucks. There, I said it. 1029380128301928301823 GlobalsObject system hacked onC extension system sucksDocumentation sucks (read more; no, I'm not drunk)Has a terrible communityAll in all, designed by total idiots. You've probably heard this a ton of times before, but, here it is again. THERE ARE JUST WAY TOO MANY GLOBALS. Why in the world does md5() need to be global? Do you serio...

   PHP,Sucks,Framework,Good,Bad Design     2011-11-20 07:08:16

  My love… for Expressive Programming Languages

I started out my journey with programming as a teenager learning GW-BASIC. Soon I learnt C language followed by C++.  I was impressed with the OO syntactic constructs C++ had on offer but I felt a little uneasy with a few constructs such as the scope resolution. I started studying Java. It immediately caught my attention with the syntactic improvements and simplifications it brought over C++. I was still in academics, so learning(precisely trying) programming languages on su...

   descriptive,programming,language,prefere     2011-08-17 07:31:09

  Including Related Objects in Queries

Every time you hit a mobile network, it slows your users down and introduces another point of failure. So when you're designing your application, you need to take advantage of every opportunity to omit needless requests. Parse's philosophy is to help make this easier by providing standard ways to reduce network requests. One example is caching queries, which lets you avoid resending requests you've already sent. Another example, which we've launched in the most recent version of the...

   Software design,Request,Network load,Resource manage,Mobile     2011-12-07 08:51:56

  Skills Needed to be a Web Developer in 2011

Many web developers think they already have all the knowledge they need to continue their careers. Check out this list of the ten skills all web developers must have to succeed in 2011 and beyond, and see how you measure up.1) Speak The Basic Languages of the WebBesides the content mark-up of HTML and the style rich sheets of CSS, how are you at your JavaScript and other advanced DHTML features? HTML 5, the latest upcoming W3C standard, includes audio and video embedding, database connectivity a...

   HTML5,Web skills,PHP,.NET,Java     2011-05-12 00:47:49

  In praise of impractical programming

Although it’s become a cultural mainstay now, I still remember when I first saw that thick book — the one with the wizard on the cover — about a school for magic where wonders are easily conjured by those who know the proper spells. Of course, I’m talking about the Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs. There was that other book with the spells, but the “Wizard Book” sincerely claimed to teach magic. For the past few years, I’ve been ...

   Impractical Programming,Structure,Scheme,Practical     2011-12-05 12:28:58

  Hail the return of native code and the resurgence of C++

Programming language trends come and go. First, Java is the hot new language, then it's Python, then Ruby steals the limelight, then it's back to JavaScript. But the latest language darling is probably the last one anyone expected. Believe it or not, 2011 could be the year of C++. Last week, the latest version of the ISO C++ Standard was approved by unanimous vote. It's the first major revision of the language in 13 years. Now officially known as C++11, the new standard introduces features desig...

   C++,Future,Return back,Popular,Local dev     2011-08-24 02:20:24

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