stillhacking

I really don't  use scripting languages on a regular basis but I do like to use the right tool for a job.  Or at least recognize that technologies with which we are most familiar are not always the best choice for any given use.   Python  is not a difficult language.  I have heard for years that it's the new Perl  which I find funny because of those I know using Perl, I have yet to learn of one contemplating a switch to Python. Depending on what you read, Google seems to like Python.  At least enough to create some course materia l and a whole lot of examples for their various efforts. It's been a good while since I looked at Python but it only took a short time today to write a simple script to call a REST service (as well it should).  Finding a nice little library, I chose  argparse , for the command line parameter processing ultimately required the most time (probably an hour after spending a lot less on the actual need).  This wa...

Not too long ago I was catching up on some Java Posse episodes and I came across the Dot War (what is it good for?) episode. This episode, recorded live at the Roundup, was not what I expected.  Maybe I was not paying attention before I started listening but I thought a Java/.Net discussion was coming.  Instead I was pleasantly surprised to hear the guys talk about container-less application development. Initially I was not so much interested in using any particular technology among those discussed.  It was the idea that we should not necessarily build software using a specific pattern, framework or technology because it's popular or because we know it (insert "hammer-nail" analogy here).  We should, as we once said, do some analysis and design work (a little learning is not a bad idea). What first came to mind was that portion of the software development heritage which took us from single user applications to the internet.  Roughly speaking the single u...

I tend to use a MacBook for most of my daily computing.  Apple, like many computer companies, tends to change little things that sometimes impact a minority of users and therefore the changes don't get much press. Recently I had the need to set a couple of environment variables on a computer running OS X 10.8.2.  There was a change in how environment variables are set or at least respected by some applications. This can be done manually and I was doing so until recently...today that is.  I found EnvPane  which is a very nice little utility.  I was using another one but it had not been updated for 10.8.2.