charris000's comments

charris000 | 5 years ago | on: Write libraries instead of services, where possible

100% agree with this. Determining the "direction" of dependency like this is one of the main considerations around implementing something as a library or a service.

I've built services that expose the latest/current version of an underlying library, with various versions of that library used in products across the company.

There is also a question of overhead - calling a library is almost always SO much faster and lighter than calling out to some service, especially if we're talking JSON or XML over HTTP.

charris000 | 5 years ago | on: Awk: `Begin { ` Part 1

+1 for Miller. It's a really slick tool for exploring large csv datasets. I've typically used it to do some prototyping and exploration of 200-500GB csv datasets before doing more hefty work in Java+PigLatin (our use-case is more long-term than just a single run for analysis, so that's re reason for moving out of just Miller). It's great to get a feel for the data and run some initial analysis before diving into the larger, more cumbersome system and tooling.

charris000 | 5 years ago | on: Hands-Free Coding: How I develop software using dictation and eye-tracking

I dunno... "swyping" your eyes around a virtual keyboard seems like it'd cause a lot of strain on your eyes.

charris000 | 5 years ago | on: Knolling

I've been doing a lot of reading about craftsmanship and making things lately, and developing software for about 15 years now. I've found the following books and links to be really well-written and deeply considered covering craftsmanship, skilled work, modern and historical ideas and explorations of the topic, and generally an interesting listen/read:

Cræft, by Alexander Langlands - This is probably the least relevant to building software, but was the first book I read on the topic. It mostly deals with discussions of the history of making things like stone walls, waddle walls, roof thatching, and the like. It's a fun read that I like to put on while I'm working in the yard.

The Craftsman, by Richard Sennett - I just finished this book, and found it to be a fantastically interesting discussion of the idea of craftsmen, craftsmanship, doing skilled work, problem solving and the relationship to problem finding/discovery (this resonated with me as a software developer in a big way) and various facets of all of the above. The author discusses the development of the linux kernel as a reference for madern skilled craftsmanship, which was a pleasant surprise.

My next read is The Nature and Art of Workmanship, by David Pye. It's been referenced by a few other sources that I've watched or read, so I'm very much looking forward to it.

I also really enjoyed an episode of The Woodwright's Shop called "The Spirit of Woodworking", where Roy Underhill discusses (in a somewhat goofy/silly way) concepts like ego, presence of mind, mindfulness, tool usage and jigs, etc.. It really resonated with me, in particular when he discusses ego and how that can relate to what you're doing when building things, as I've found the removal of ego and shifting of perspective to be a huge part of growing as an "experienced" maker of things myself. I can't find the direct link to the video, but it's about half way down the list on this season: https://www.pbs.org/woodwrightsshop/watch-on-line/watch-seas...