DotNetKicks.com : Stories kicked by dvader

Three Index Cards To Easily Remember The Essence Of Test-Driven Develo

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:08:32 GMT

Three physical index cards representing the ideas put forth in http://blog.objectmentor.com/articles/2008/03/06/tdd-on-three-index-cards

What makes me NOT want to leave a company/client/shop

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 16:16:09 GMT

What makes me NOT want to leave a company

The 5 types of poor software architects

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:31:06 GMT

The types of software architects you never want to meet in your career

Don't be clever 2 - The cost of cleverness

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:46:03 GMT

In the modern world of programming we need to be more cognizant of making our code readable and grokkable than to make it clever or sneaky. For 99% of the developers out there, no one is ever going to pat you on the back for being sneaky. You're probably more likely to get punched in the face for it when the team has to spend the weekend debugging a piece of your clever code.

IE Sends Mozilla a New Cake for Firefox 3

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 15:31:02 GMT

Sean from Microsoft came by just a few minutes ago to drop off a cake for the Internet Explorer team. As people may recall, the IE team sent Mozilla a cake after Firefox 2 shipped and it seems that they wanted to continue the tradition.

Which kind of cast should you use in C#?

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:01:04 GMT

C# offers two casting operators: the prefix-cast and the as-cast. Although the two operators compile to different op-codes in the CLR, the practical difference between them is in how they handle failed casts. Prefix-cast throws an exception on cast failure, while as-cast returns null. It's easier to implement correct error handling when you use prefix cast, because it doesn't require manual checks for null values that can cause problems in distant parts of your program. Prefix-cast should be the default cast operator on your fingertips, that you use for everyday situations - reserve as-cast for special cases where performance matters.

What a developer needs from their manager

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:16:03 GMT

I've a read a lot of articles talking about what it takes to be a good development manager. There are also articles about what makes a good developer. I thought it would be a good idea to describe what a developer needs from their manager.

How Super Mario Bros Made Me a Better Software Engineer

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 17:16:05 GMT

Playing NES video games does have some advantages!

What Does It Take To Become A Grandmaster Developer?

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 19:31:02 GMT

Provides an analogy between chess grandmasters and software developers including some C# examples.

Sound of one man testing

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 11:16:02 GMT

Recently I was chatting with a friend of mine and he asked if a single developer could be successful following TDD on a team that does not follow TDD. My simple answer was YES, they can. But there are a few things you must consider.....

The Most Useful VS Feature No One Seems To Use

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 18:46:02 GMT

Speed up your debugging time by using the Exceptions dialog box.

Tell Me Your Unit Testing Pains

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 21:01:02 GMT

... Unfortunately, by most definitions of Unit Test, most of these tests are really integration tests.

No, you're crazy! (or, the problem with assuming that computer program

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 21:01:04 GMT

An excellent post on how to think about programming as a profession.

Hundreds of design patterns, antipatterns and refactorings listed

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 04:31:02 GMT

Good source of common patterns (GoF etc), antipatterns and refactoring types. The examples are good and clear, but the code samples are only in Java/C++. However, the articles and samples are platform neutral enough to be useful even for .NET-purists like us ;)

Confessions of a Software Developer

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 06:01:02 GMT

Has anybody else ever felt overwhelmed with the sheer mass of "stuff" involved with software development?

Top 5 Attributes of Highly Effective Programmers

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 12:46:02 GMT

Just an essential article. I would like to add "discipline" to this list.

TDD Proven Effective! Or is it?

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 21:46:02 GMT

So when Phil Haack announced that Research Supports the Effectiveness of TDD I was more than a little interested in seeing what the linked report actually contained.

101 Great Computer Programming Quotes

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 16:31:02 GMT

"I think Microsoft named .Net so it wouldn't show up in a Unix directory listing." (Oktal)

Microsoft Sync Framework Support in Visual Studio 2008

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 21:01:03 GMT

How to add synchronization framework to your app in several mouse clicks in Visual Studio 2008.

Building Data Out Of Thin Air

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 09:46:02 GMT

A wild ride through theoretical implementations of Cons, Car and Cdr in Scheme, followed by implementations in C# 3.0 and VB 9. Guaranteed to stretch your mind.

Why Use Continuous Integration - Beginner's Overview

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 23:16:02 GMT

Good conceptual overview of why to use Continuous Integration. As a person that didn't understand much at all about it. This article sense me down the right direction of understanding.

Programming is a Noble Profession, Be Proud, Be Strong

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 21:01:02 GMT

"No one will ever take you seriously unless you're willing to risk something to prove you're right." This post from Chad Myers hits the nail right on the head!

Scott Guthrie: Visual Studio 2008 and .NET 3.5 Released

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 20:16:03 GMT

Scott's announcement on the release of Visual Studio 2008 and .NET 3.5.

VS2008 / .NET 3.5 Training Kit

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 17:16:05 GMT

Microsoft have just released a training kit for VS2008 and .Net 3.5 to get everyone up to speed. It includes powerpoint presentations, hands-on labs etc.

7 of Hardest Things I Learned About Writing Software

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 10:31:04 GMT

Learning to write code is not that hard. With a book, Google, and a little free time just about anyone can hack something together. However, to become a good software developer you need a passion to constantly and continually learn.