Welcome to Clojure
Using Clojure for something Simple
Posted by Rob Nelson November 23, 2009
I haven't written anything in a long time. To get things started, I'm posting a tiny fragment of code in a language I'm dabbling in lately, Clojure.
Exercises in Pruning Code, Episode #2
A story about building an application (including a brief discussion of functional programming)
Posted by Rob Nelson July 9, 2008
I write Ruby on Rails applications for a living now. This is a pointless story about writing a section of one such application. I wrote this article for work. I've duplicated it here for no particular reason. It is slightly different here though - including a misguided discussion about functional programming that didn't go over very well at work.
Poor Man's Multi-Table Inheritance
A few tricks with Ruby and Meta-programming
Posted by Rob Nelson April 18, 2008
I recently had an article published on another blog at another web site. It's a new company I've been working for for a few months. I'm cross posting it for no particular reason. The original article is <a href="http://killswitchcollective.com/articles/15">here</a>
Why do Web Programming Languages Suck?
Being a rant - with some possible explanations
Posted by Rob Nelson January 25, 2008
Programming a web application is a horrid mish-mash of
languages, standards, and browser incompatibilities. It's chaos.
It sucks. Why?
Curriculum Vitae - pt.2
Part 2 of a serialized history
Posted by Rob Nelson September 13, 2007
In which the author transforms from a code hack
into an advanced code hack
Curriculum Vitae - pt.1
I've been programming for 10 years now.
Posted by Rob Nelson August 14, 2007
I got an Art degree in college. How did I end up as a programmer?
The Code Documentation Conundrum
What is the best way to document code?
Posted by Rob Nelson July 2, 2007
I've tried various methods of documenting my code - but
I have not been satisfied with any method. I don't think this is a
problem the industry has solved yet.
The Attack of the Project Managers
They are taking over
Posted by Rob Nelson May 10, 2007
There are more and more people getting this bogus
certification and calling themselves a 'Project Manager'. They are trying
to take over the industry. What is the deal?
What makes a good Programmer's Editor?
IDEs come and go. I've used a lot of them, and never liked any of them
Posted by Rob Nelson March 28, 2007
In which the author explains why Emacs and/or Vim are still
the best programmer editors around - but maybe not for long. Includes a brief review
of the Wing and Komodo IDEs.
Pycon 2007 (Learning a thing or Two)
I went to <a href="http://us.pycon.org/TX2007/HomePage">Pycon</a> . I admit it
Posted by Rob Nelson March 7, 2007
Pycon is a conference dedicated to Python - the programming language. There are lectures, discussions, and various presentations. Herein the author shares some observations gleaned from having attended said conference.
Haskell and Programming as Mathematics
Some thoughts about the language Haskell
Posted by Rob Nelson February 27, 2007
Lately I've been trying to learn the <a href="http://haskell.org">Haskell</a> language because it meets several criteria I think all languages should have.
Peddlers Peddling their Wares (and other Observations)
Being a series of unrelated observations
Posted by Rob Nelson December 19, 2006
Over the years I've gotten tired of complexity for
complexities sake. But I have to admit it's not always easy to spot. Hype
and peddlers often rule the field of programming.
The Quirk factor vs. Sustained Complexity
More useless discussion about computer languages
Posted by Rob Nelson November 15, 2006
In my last post I bemoaned the state of the
Ruby language. For the sake of completeness
I think I should include some background information,
so that it is more obvious why I feel qualified
to express such an opinion, and what led me to
my conclusions.
Browser Incompatabilities and Magical Incantations
In which the author bemoans the state of CSS
Posted by Rob Nelson October 10, 2006
It's been a while since I've written anything. Months have gone
by as I've been heavily absorbed in the project I last wrote about. I
made by decision about that particular project, but that's not what I
want to write about. Not yet. I want to write about the bane of my existence
as a web programmer. The thing that causes the greatest gnashing of
teeth that I know of. The maddening world of browser incompatabilities,
workaround, known bugs and magical CSS incantations.
Does a Language Visually Need Algol syntax?
Squint your eyes, and look at a page of code
Posted by Rob Nelson May 23, 2006
I'm wondering if there is a particular method of syntax that is better for structuring code and revealing the structure of that code visually.
Small Web Applications in Large Organizations
There is a market for small, targeted web applications in large organizations
Posted by Rob Nelson April 20, 2006
In which the author suggests that many large organizations are dying for thousands of tiny applications to be written to handle their day to day business.
People as Replaceable Components
IT shops want people that are replaceable. So they get replaceable people
Posted by Rob Nelson March 15, 2006
In which the author critiques the practice of organizations to base technology on
how easily they think they can hire into positions.
Superstition
Superstition is an obstacle in programming
Posted by Rob Nelson February 17, 2006
There is no doubt in my mind that a lot of what is called programming, and a lot of what is called 'troubleshooting' a computer, is nothing but superstition and delusional thinking.
Programmers as Operatives
Every unit in a large organization should have a programmer working with them - instead of for them
Posted by Rob Nelson January 27, 2006
In which the author expresses the wish for all units i a large organization to have at least one programmer working day to day with them.
Anybody can Program
I still can't decide whether professionalizing programming is a good idea or not
Posted by Rob Nelson November 21, 2005
In which the author discusses a brief history of programming going back 10 years - and struggles with the idea that, anybody can learn to program. Sometimes it's best to leave the programming to programmers - but sometimes it isn't.
Code is a Liability
Code is a liability
Posted by Rob Nelson November 21, 2005
Code is not a good thing. If you have a large code-base - you have an albatross.
The Dreaded Presentation
The Presentation of a project usually sucks. Why? Here are a few reasons I could think of.
Posted by Rob Nelson November 14, 2005
I hate giving presentations of new applications. I think most people probably do. I'm wondering if everyone experiences the same things - because most presentations I've given, or that I have witnessed have some of the same characteristics.
Modelling a Turbogears Application
As I was envisioning the structure of the code for this blog, I was reminded of the style of module or functional modelling, as opposed to a strictly object-oriented approach
Posted by Rob Nelson November 9, 2005
I have been working with Turbogears lately. One thing I noticed is that it gives an application a clean interface that is easy to model.
The Bigger the Box
I had a thought today that computer languages are boxes that get bigger ad bigger the longer they are used.
Posted by Rob Nelson November 7, 2005
I have noticed the larger, more established something is. The harder it is to change. This is not a brillant obversation. But I have a picture.
The Myth of the Non-programmer Programming Language
The continual search for making 'programming for the millions'
Posted by Rob Nelson September 28, 2005
There has been an unending attempt to write languages that non-programmers can use. I contend that all of these languages end up being used by either a) programmers or b) highly technical people that might as well be programmers.
The Tower of Babel (and other observations)
Musings on the tower of babel story and how it relates to the general human endeavour of thought.
Posted by Rob Nelson September 26, 2005
In which the author makes random observations - centralizing on the fact that the Tower of Babel is a story that repeats itself over and over again - year after year
