Craig Gjerdingen

Rails feels like just what it is, a reflective inspection and auto build (aka code generation) of a well designed Model View Controller connected to a nice implementation of Martin Folwers Active Record design pattern. I think the lession here isn't how great Rails is, but how much can be gained by following well designed patterns...

Continue reading "Chapter 7: Ruby on Rails" »

Posted by Craig Gjerdingen at 9:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I keep hearing people say they couldn’t possibly use Ruby because it lacks automatic refactoring tools.

Marting Fowler tells us that Refactoring is the art and science of turning smelly code into good code, in small, incremental steps. Provably correct, by construction. Algorithms for giving your code a makeover without breaking it in the process.

Continue reading "Transformation: Ruby Smells" »

Posted by Craig Gjerdingen at 9:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Java's leadership run, at least for applications, might be drawing to an end. This book points out one language and two frameworks (one in Ruby and one in Smalltalk) that have something special to offer. One possible alternative language, Ruby. It improves on Java, but that doesn't mean that Ruby will succeed, or that it's the best possible alternative. Dynamic Languages...

Continue reading "Beyond Javas: Chapter 6. Ruby in the Rough" »

Posted by Craig Gjerdingen at 4:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Microsoft extends the Common Type Library to the client-side. This provides cross platform, cross browser support for a core JavaScript type-system, JSON-based network serialization stack, JavaScript component/control model (Observer Pattern), as well as common client JavaScript helper classes.

Continue reading "Scott Gu's Blog: ASP.NET AJAX 1.0 Released" »

Posted by Craig Gjerdingen at 3:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML) by Microsoft is a declarative XML-based language used to define objects and their properties, relationships and interactions for Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF). ...

Personally, my thoughts are, "Microsoft released the .Net 2.0 framework about the same time Web 2.0 was really peaking and they COMPLETELY missed it"... It had to be a major embarrassment for them. Now it looks like they are...

Continue reading "Sizing Up .Net 3.0 Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF)" »

Posted by Craig Gjerdingen at 2:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The premise of the book: conditions are ripe for an alternative applications programming language to emerge, because Java is abandoning its base. I'm not going to pretend to know what's next. Hopefully, I'll lay out some interesting languages and frameworks that have promise. This chapter, then, suggests the characteristics that the language should have to have broad commercial success.

Continue reading "Chapter 5. Rules of the Game" »

Posted by Craig Gjerdingen at 9:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Java is now in danger, it's getting too difficult to manage, and both evolutionary and revolutionary steps to remedy the problem are failing us. The basic problems.

4.1. Java's New Job Description

But all of the extra power comes with added complexity.

Continue reading "Chapter 4 [Why Java Now Sounds Like] Glass Breaking" »

Posted by Craig Gjerdingen at 11:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If you're to understand what might possibly come after Java, you need to ask questions about Java's continued success:

• What makes Java hip, and draw such a wide variety of people?
  
• How has the open source community thrived, in times, despite Sun and the power vendors?
  
• What are the indispensable technical underpinnings that make Java successful?
  
• What makes Java so adaptable that programmers can build everything from web sites to databases?
  

Continue reading "Chapter 3 [Java's Technological] Crown Jewels" »

Posted by Craig Gjerdingen at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Notes and [thoughts] as I read this book. Mostly I'll paraphrase the author. I'll note something if it is my thoughts or insight by [enclosing it in brackets].

Common topics include: Java development, frameworks, Spring, Struts, Hibernate, Ruby on Rails, developer productivity, etc.

Here is Chapter 1 "Owls and Ostriches" and Chapter 2 "The Perfect Storm"

Continue reading "Beyond Java (by Bruce A Tate, O'Reilly)" »

Posted by Craig Gjerdingen at 6:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Static vs. Dynamic

Languages where the type of references can change are usually called dynamic (weak), languages where the type of a reference is fixed are called static (strong).

Continue reading "Weak versus strong languages, who wins the fight?" »

Posted by Craig Gjerdingen at 6:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)