Relational Object Mapping
The idea is also commonly known as ORM (object relational mapping). You are taking an object and mapping it to a database table or result set. This is very powerful tool for any developer. Hibernate is a great tool. You can easily point it to a database schema and generate a collection of objects with [...]
The World Outside of My Window
To solve certain problems you have to think outside of the box. I use to hear this phrase a lot. I always had a hard time trying figure this one out. If I am in the box, how can I think outside of it? I found it easier to think about it another way. Most [...]
Why Reinvent The Wheel?
Normally, I think this isn’t the best idea. Putting effort towards a solved solution seems like a waste of time. Why go with the crowd? Development should be fun. Below are a few reasons why some deviate from the path. Complexity can be a reason to do this. When you are trying to write code [...]
Plan, Execute, and be Flexible
Before you write a single line of code, have a design or plan. Plans come in all shapes and forms. You could have a formal design document, a UML diagram drawn on a cocktail napkin, or an idea you thought about for a few hours. Regardless of the level of polish, you need a plan. [...]
Scaling From Day One
There is a saying in software development, you write it first and then you optimize as needed. This is a very general rule and works much of the time. However, when you need your solutions to scale from day one, you can throw this rule out the window. Well, you aren’t really throwing the rule [...]
A Problem You Can Duplicate is Easy To Fix
This is not true 100% of the time, but the majority of the time this is correct. There have been times, I “fixed” a problem. Only to realize I didn’t fix anything. However, I did break working code. After you have done this a few times, you will learn. In an attempt to reduplicate the [...]
Read The Comments
There comes a time in a developer’s life where we have seen bad code. This happens relatively fast in your development. You pick up a new language, write some code, and comeback to it in a few months. You will be horrified at what you produced. Next time don’t beat yourself up about it. You [...]
A Tester is an Ally and not an Enemy
Testers make your job easier so don’t give them a hard time. You would think most developers realize this, but most don’t. I have seen countless times where developers believe a tester is out to get them. I know some are thinking how does a tester help me. I write code and a tester will [...]
Should You Really Be Optimizing Right Now?
C# is the language that is keeping the lights on right now. I had a conversation with a fellow programmer about refactoring and optimizing code. C# is compiled by a very refined compiler. I am hugely generalizing the process here, but the compiler can determine your intent and provide output based on that. This means [...]