How To Write Better As A Developer
Recently, I had two programming friends point out to me the importance of writing skills. It makes sense to pay attention to what they say because: one runs an online product company, and the other jumped from a bootcamp graduate to a lead developer within just a few years. Let’s look at a short guide …
How Garbage Collection Works Inside A Java Virtual Machine
Understanding how Java handles memory isn’t always necessary, but it can help you envision how the JVM deals with your variables and class instances. Automatic Garbage Collection (GC) is one of the most important features that makes Java so popular. This article explains why GC is essential. It includes automatic and generational GC, how the …
5 Tips To Avoid These Common Agile Mistakes
Invest time in training, incorporate agile into individual interactions, and write modular code designed for flexibility. Agile is a tried and true discipline used by software development teams worldwide with great success. In my previous article, I listed mistakes I’ve made in the past so you don’t have to make them yourself. My teams and I have used …
Want Faster Data And A Cleaner Planet? Start Mining Asteroids
Mining asteroids might seem like the stuff of science fiction, but there are companies and a few governments already working hard to make it real. This should not be surprising: compared with the breathtaking bridges that engineers build on Earth, asteroid-mining is a simple, small-scale operation requiring only modest technological advances. If anything is lacking, …
Where Are The World’s Best Developers?
Finding software engineers has been a pressing business topic during the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses have been searching for digital specialists to support transformation efforts, adapt products and services, strengthen security to facilitate teleworking, or modify infrastructure to increase flexibility. A 2022 Pentalog report based on a SkillValue ranking helps answer a question being asked across …
How to Learn Effectively With Your Personal Programming Projects
A standard piece of advice for beginner programmers is that you learn most effectively when working on your personal projects. It’s good advice, but you can find yourself struggling to follow it—especially if you are very new to the IT craft. This article acts as a step-by-step guide that you can follow to start on …
Fail-Fast vs. Fail-Safe: What Is the Most Reliable Software Strategy?
I love cooking and use my Thermomix a lot. If you hadn’t heard about that amazing innovation, it’s a kitchen robot… Well, it’s a magical super cooking machine. When designing the Thermomix, its designers took the approach of fail-safe instead of fail-fast. This is a smart choice in this case, but it has its drawbacks. …
Automate Checking For Flaws In Python With Thoth
Project Thoth pulls together many open source tools to automate program builds with security checks as part of the resolution process. Most cyberattacks take advantage of publicly known vulnerabilities. Many programmers can automate builds using Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) or DevOps techniques. But how can we automate the checks for security flaws that turn up …
New Book Highlights Open Source Tools And Tips For Personal Cybersecurity
In a world that has to contend with constant cyber threats, this new book by author Bryson Payne is a necessary read for any open source technologist who spends time on the internet. The internet can be a dangerous place. Not a week goes by without a cyber attack taking place. Go H*ck Yourself: A Simple …
3 Open Source Tools For People With Learning Difficulties
The ability to customize applications is one of the great strengths of open source. Disabilities significantly impact people’s lives. As someone with dyspraxia and dyslexia, I can tell you that is true. One thing that mitigates my difficulties is the technology I use, such as a screen-reader and task manager. I’ve set up an ecosystem of sorts that …