In which I talk about work and try to be funny. The chances of success are low.
What a frontend developer does
Remember when I highlighted a blog post a while back that described something I'd been involved with at work? Well, okay fine. Anyway, regardless, GDS now has a piece of guidance that explicitly defines the job role of a frontend developer. It's pretty interesting reading.
Anyway, again, yes, this is what I do for a living. Friends and family, take note.
Things I learned today - Trello limits
I just managed to hit the limit for characters in the description of a Trello card. I didn't even know there was a limit for characters in the description of a Trello card.
Turns out the limit is 16384 characters. I think I did quite well to reach that.
Interlude: joke
I made up a joke the other day.
- What do you call a driveway covered in maple syrup?
- A congealed entrance.
You're welcome, internet.
Developer career progression
I've been thinking about this recently. It seems like the career progression for a developer is something like this.
- junior: get to work on cool stuff
- mid level: get to work on cool stuff
- senior: get to work on cool stuff
- lead (or above): get mired in bureaucracy and spend all your time in meetings
- find a new job
It's possible I'm being a little cynical, but I've seen it happen.
The Matrix Resuscitated
They released a trailer for the new Matrix film recently. I'm strangely underwhelmed by the prospect. It's actually quite a good trailer, in that it teases some ideas but doesn't give away the entire plot (Hollywood take note).
But do we really need another Matrix movie? I guess I shouldn't be surprised - a good portion of the movie industry seems focussed on dredging up any vaguely recognisable IP for the sequel/prequel/reboot treatment. But who was crying out for a Matrix sequel after the last two films? I'd start on a detailed analysis, but like the film, I really can't be bothered.
Good systems and bad systems (mostly bad)
I've written about bad websites before, but here's a genuine example of a system I encountered recently.
I had a text from my hospital containing a link to a webpage, which asked me to prove my identity in order to load a PDF of a letter asking me to contact them to make an appointment. As per the instructions in the letter, I emailed them to make an appointment. They replied to my email to say that someone would phone me back.
If that wasn't overly complicated enough, it's worth noting that I've dealt with this hospital before and this is only one example of how interacting with them works. Unnecessarily complicated systems are bad enough, but adding inconsistency to them makes them even worse.
A guide to technical pronunciation
There's often a lot of debate in developer circles over technical terms and how they should be written and pronounced. For example, is it Javascript or JavaScript? Some people disagree.
To simplify matters, I've come up with the following solution. Whenever referring to technology such as a language or system, it should be written in all caps, regardless of whether it is an acronym or not, and followed by three exclamation marks if it is at the end of a sentence. If the word is spoken, it should be shouted.
Some examples.
- I'm familiar with HTML, CSS, and JAVASCRIPT!!!
- I also know a bit of RUBY!!!
- Who's responsible for all this JQUERY?!?
While we're at it, let's solve another technical pronunciation argument.
- SQL should be pronounced Squeal
- mySQL should be pronounced Ms. Squeal
Again, you're welcome, internet.