Blog posts in Programming
Notice to Frat-Boy Business Men RE: Your IT
This is just a rant from me to "businessmen" who are stuck in the whole "frat-boy" mentality.
When dealing with your IT guys, there are a few things you need to be aware of:
- we run your business. You may think you're in control, but we have the power to cripple your business with a few clicks of a…
XML Prolog in PHP
Okay, I get it. For some PHP programmers, the notion of the PHP short-code being the same as the open and close of the XML prolog is enough to throw you into a foaming rage.
However - of all the "solutions" I've seen, this has to be the worst:
<?php echo ("<"); ?>?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"…#1 Reason (To Me) Why REST Web Services Suck
Every time I have to work with REST-based webservices, I want to pull my teeth.
My #1 problem is that they typically use HTTP status codes to report errors/failures. The problem with this is that there is literally no details given as to WHAT failed.
Take Twitter as an example - if you make a server…
Lithium Filters - What's the Point?
I've used Lithium for 2 projects now, and I have one major issue - I honestly don't see the benefit of "filters" vs. "callback" methods.
I understand that conceptually it's supposed to "decouple" the filter logic from the model itself. However, every example of applying filters to Models show the fi…
No-Win on Browser Support
Once again in my life, this beast rears his ugly head. The scenario: customer and employer want HTML5 site (complete with animations, CSS3, gradients, rounded-borders, the whole shtick) - BUT, they want it to work in ancient browsers.
I'm getting so sick of this.
Oh - and did I forget to mention t…
PHP Lithium
Over the last week, I've been working in the PHP framework Lithium. I've actually been enjoying it.
I tried going via Zend, Symfony and CakePHP first, but found them either too fragmented (Symfony), quirky (hate the implicit connection CakePHP makes between controllers and models), or just weren't e…
NetSyndication.com now live
After slogging (and procrastinating) for what feels like forever (but really just a little under a year), NetSyndication.com is finally live.
It's only "alpha" grade at the moment, but it shows what's coming and what the overall direction is going to be.
Everyone's welcome to open accounts and give …
If Oracle Wins Against Google
I know this probably seems like a knee-jerk reaction, but it's not.
Plainly stated - if Oracle wins it's claims against Google (as detailed in this article), then:
- I will stop programming in Java. Period.
- I will stop programming for the Android. Period.
My reasoning is thus:
- If Oracle wins this, …
One of the Biggest Lessons I've Learned in IT
Something struck me today: over the years, I've been involved in a lot of different projects for a lot of different companies (even some just person projects). The #1 lesson I've learned is this - never exclude a particular technology from your choice of solutions merely because you don't like it (o…
Why I Think Everyone's Flocking to Webapps
I've been a programmer for quite a while. I was one of the early believers that the browser would be a great medium for writing more complex applications (yeah, I was an early adopter of DHTML).
Yet, through it all, I've always felt that there was certain areas where using the web simply didn't make…
No More Java for Me
With Oracle's recent shenanigans with Java, I was already concerned about the platform's future. I'm a big believer in the open source ideology (not just as a consumer - I have started several open source projects myself). What Oracle is doing is the exact opposite of that.
I have to agree with Apac…
MySQL Sucks
There. I said it. You may disagree with me, and that's fine, but for my purposes, MySQL is a steaming pile of dog crap.
Here's my #1 problem - views. MySQL views are complete rubbish. When I create a view in PostgreSQL, and I do a query against that view, PostgreSQL knows if the tables involved have…
MySQL Database Backups with GIT
Like any good technology company, we run database backups. Being a website hosting company, these database files become monstrous - we're already well over 20GB per backup (and that's gzipped). Part of this backup process is to keep some copies for historical purposes (not simply one single backup f…
Grails - I'm starting to get a BAD feeling
I've been working on my first real Grails project for a few days now, and I have to admit - I'm starting to feel a little uncertain about the whole thing.
Tasks which seem like they should be fairly simple end up being a huge load of effort to get functioning.
Let me give you 2 examples of where the…
A Damned Good Reason for Facebook to NOT Allow Deleting
I've read it before, and now I see it's come up again (at least in my circle of influence), so I thought I'd make a case here. There is a very, very valid reason why Facebook doesn't (and frankly, never should) allow deleting of accounts. This post is directed at all you "privacy" advocates who alwa…
Why Programmers Appear Short-Tempered
Like any programmer, I sometimes get quizzed as to why I am so intolerant towards people who, by all outward appearances, are not tech-savvy. Here's the thing - it has nothing to do with being up to date on the latest technology - it has to do with this sort of thing:
Programmers e-mail client: Wher…
iPhone vs. Android Development
Just a quick post based on some cursory examination on my part comparing the initial steps to even starting development of apps between iPhone and Android. This is based on the "average" developer - "average" being defined as those who have a Windows or Linux PC, and are familiar with one of the mos…
Top 10 Things That Annoy Programmers
I stumbled upon this web page today and just had to share it: Top 10 Things That Annoy Programmers
My personal feelings on the items mentioned:
#10: To me, this includes complete lack of code comments - if your process is several layers deep, it doesn't matter how "self explanatory" your programming…
VREB RETS
Anyone's who's worked with RETS knows 2 this:
- it's a crap interface
- none of the board which implement it conform for the "standard" set
With regards to #2, this can be seen the "GetObject" transaction for Victoria Real-Estate Board (VREB). The boards I've worked with thus far use the property ID t…
Why IE6 Just Won't Die
Today, Sept 1 2010, we are still stuck trying to get sites to work with IE6. To think just 2 years ago people were always saying IE6 is dying, and yet here we sit, stuck with the beast.
And you know, I completely understand that companies and individuals who have invested in their IT infrastructure …
Visit my Friends and Family
If you've enjoyed my site, please take a moment to visit my friends and family, many of whom have some interesting insights, and entertaining thoughts and ideas.
- Crause Family - the family website
- Peter Crause - my father
- Justin Crause - my brother
- Cencina Photomagic - great photographer
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