Sunday, May 05, 2002

Why do developers choose one programming language over another for a given task? ... I hardly ever choose a language based on syntax. Yeah, I prefer the {}; languages (C/C++/C#/Java). And I have lots of opinions as to what makes a "good" syntax. But I wouldn't accept a 20 MB runtime just to get semicolons. Which makes me wonder a bit about .NET's cross-language strategy. The idea is, choose any language you want, there are zillions, and they all work the same way.... ... It seems like .NET gives us a "choice" of languages precisely where we couldn't care less about it -- in the syntax.  [Joel on Software]  Completely agree.... 9:33:09 PM

10 Reasons to Dump Your IDE. "Is it possible that the very thing that is supposed to facilitate faster [coding] is in fact, an unseen liability, crippling development flexibility and team contribution?" asks Bradley S. O'Hearne in an article for DevX.com. The article is addressed to Java developers; however, most of his arguments are just as applicable to developers using an IDE for any programming language. [kuro5hin.org] 5:49:08 PM

"ieSpell - Freeware Spell Checker for Internet Explorer" [Daypop Top 40]  Spell checks form data... handy if, say, you're blogging... 5:43:23 PM

LawMeme: Top Ten New Copyright Crimes. [Hack the Planet] 5:39:26 PM