Get Racket. Technically the racket IDE is for the Racket language, but it works just fine with scheme if you put “#lang scheme” (minus the quotes) at the top of your .scm file. The thing I really love about Racket is the debugger. You can actually step through your scheme code instead of just littering it with (display <blah>)! So much easier!
One of a number of places I volunteer is Ladies Learning Code’s Victoria chapter (you can also find them on Facebook, Meetup, and Twitter). What we’re all about in the Victoria chapter is digital literacy for everyone. To make sure we’re all on the same page, I’m defining digital literacy as the ability to find your way around and get things done on desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones, and to be able.. Read More
Zsolt Nagy has some great tips on javascript debugging. I’ve been using chrome dev tools for ages and I had no idea that DOM breakpoints were even a thing.
Let’s talk about questionable code and the best practices to fix it. Even if you’ve been a developer for years it’s good to do a quick review once in a while and make sure you haven’t picked up any bad habits. Commenting out code instead of deleting it I’m as guilty of this as anyone else, but honestly it’s a waste of time. If you ever actually need that code back.. Read More
I’ve seen bad things done in java. The kind of things you can’t unsee. But I’ve never seen anything quite like this java program that makes 2 + 2 = 5: import java.lang.reflect.Field; public class Main { public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception { Class cache = Integer.class.getDeclaredClasses()[0]; Field c = cache.getDeclaredField(“cache”); c.setAccessible(true); Integer[] array = (Integer[]) c.get(cache); array[132] = array[133]; System.out.printf(“%d”,2 + 2); } } Thanks, codegolf user.. Read More
Fiddler rocks. Fiddler is a free web debugging proxy for any browser, system or platform. I’ve only ever used it on Windows so I can’t speak to how it performs on any other OS, but on Windows it’s pretty great. To go into a little more detail, Fiddler captures every request your browser makes and lets you save, retrieve, and analyze them. Mostly I use it for simple things like seeing.. Read More
There’s this really awesome utility for Android called Tasker that lets you automate all kinds of stuff on your phone. I love how much stuff I can do with it, but the interface doesn’t just fail to be user friendly, it’s actively user hostile. Every damn time I set up a phone I forget how to configure Tasker to automatically unlock my phone when I’m at home. This little how-to guide explains it.. Read More
This interview with Saron Yitbarek is really interesting and you should read it. Saron currently leads the Tech Jobs Academy program at Microsoft and she founded CodeNewbie.org. My favourite part of her interview is: What advice would you give to a younger version of yourself starting out in development? You’re going to feel stupid most of the time, and that’s ok. Also, don’t go at it alone. Things are much easier.. Read More
Not so long ago I decided to try working my way through Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, hereafter referred to as SICP because that’s an awful lot of typing. Why SICP? Because I hear it will make me a better programmer and because I’ve heard about it enough times that I want to know what I’m missing :) Thanks to the wonders of the internets, you can get the.. Read More
Or, networking for misanthropic nerds. I’m shy, awkward around people I don’t know well, and honestly kind of a dork. So how is that I got three of the four jobs I’ve had since college by knowing people? I show up. That’s seriously it. Physically show up to events, make a minimal effort to be friendly, and you will get to know people who will either introduce you to someone.. Read More