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Showing posts from March, 2013

A bit of Python and some nice arguments

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 was because I wrote the script on a Mac

Dropwizard and some memories

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 user applic

OS X 10.8.2 ENV help

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.