My pet peeve: calling a project that compiles in Windows and x86 Linux ‘Cross Platform’.
Technically it’s correct, yes it does compile on more than one platform. But for my uses converting to OS X a linux project that uses X11 and links to pre-compiled x86 Linux libraries isn’t straightforward. These projects don’t deserve to be called cross platform.
My ideal cross platform project: a project that has no pre-compiled code, libraries or otherwise. A project that has minimal dependancies or at least cross platform dependancies. A project written in standard C++ or similar (no ASM!).
And so is my work. Any experience I gather goes into what I create, even the experience of creating something goes into the next project. This is why I lept at the chance to work on something that I have been thinking about for some time now. I’m not sure if we are doing an official release so I’m not going to go into much depth. Suffice to say it’s a content management system. I would guess this is the 3rd such system I’ve had a hand in.
The next one I work on is going to be better still, obviously, but the feature set and workings we’ve come up with are very cool if I say so myself. The whole system works like a subversion repository, content is nested and is only copied when modified. This gives versioning for free but also adds a serious amount of complication.
There is no ‘admin’, no complicated management system. Edits are performed in-page using Javascript thanks to Alex. At the top of each page is a little expanding control pane which is used for: navigation, versioning, page properties (title, href) and for creating new pages.
It’s really that easy, if you can look at your site, you can edit it.
Anyway it’s not finished yet but the majority is done. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Apparently the difference is a beard.
Edit: Just realised that tongue in cheek does not go down well over the ‘net. This is a joke, it is funny, you should chuckle. I have no idea why I am labelled a Developer and Alex is labelled a Programmer.
As an update to an older post, I did go with the extra 2gb of Ram and I did purchase a 750gb hard drive. In fact over the last few months I have bought 3 750gb drives. According to the hard drive manufacturer I now have 2.5 terabytes of disk space, but it’s more like 2.3tb.
Why so much space? I love information. I like the fact that I don’t have to delete anything.
Slightly related: crucial have released an 8gb upgrade kit (2x 4gb) for my computer bringing the maximum ram up to 32gb.
This is one of my favourite sayings. The concept of pimping is making someone feel good about themselves. Pimping usually builds in a feeling of need, that the victim needs the pimp.
Pimping starts off by breaking someone. You really bring them down. Failure, sadness, worthlessness. Then you spend time bringing them back up, incorporating what you want them to believe. It’s really that simple. You would think that they would be no better off, but if the pimping was done right the victim will end up feeling better than before. This is a weird paradox, that you only really feel great and happy if you have been through pain and sadness. This is apparently what earth and heaven is all about. We have pain and suffering on earth so that heaven is wonderful to us. We wouldn’t appreciate heaven without pain and suffering.
The opposite is also true. If you build someone up by saying all these awesome things are possible and that they will get all these great things then tell them that is isn’t possible and they aren’t getting them they will feel worse than when you started.
The order you provide information matters. To website pimp you tell the client that there are difficulties in creating what they want - there always is. But if anything is easy or goes smoothly they will appreciate it all the more.
Of course I don’t actually deal with clients - they don’t let me out of the cage. I would never use this technique. If I was dealing with clients I would use an honesty approach and be fully open with what’s happening.
Happy pimping!