LISP macros versus C macros

::: {.Section1} [Ted Neward also laments the lack of LISP-style macros in mainstream programming languages. Damn straight. LISP macros allow you to extend the syntax of your programming language. You know how modern IDEs allow you to type 'for' and then hit some key and it expands into a complete for …

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Should programmers fear offshoring?

Ted Neward argues that "programmers shouldn't fear offshoring."

He has two theses:

  • Unlike previous industrial revolutions, the demands in the software industry are such that there'll be plenty of work for all; and
  • Best practices seem to indicate that physical proximity is important to software success

I'd like to agree …

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XNA, Managed Code, and XBox Live Arcade

The February '06 issue of Game Developer Magazine (hey -- the last magazine I founded that is still in publication) has an article on "Casual Games and the Mass Market." They mean games like those of PopCap and PlayFirst: you know, Bejeweled and the like. Okay, so first of all, it's …

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Pandora vs. Last.fm

::: {.Section1} [I haven't tried Last.fm, which is a music recommendation service based on what other people listening to X []{.underline} also listen to. But I like Pandora quite a bit, so this article comparing them was worth reading. On the other hand, I still prefer KEXP to both.]{style …

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Scott Hanselman has diabetes: Sponsor Team Hanselman

::: {.Section1} [Scott is walking in the Diabetes Walk and is only halfway to his fund-raising goal. C'mon, give him a \$20.]{style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: Calibri"}\< ?xml:namespace prefix = o /> :::

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Tracepoints: Debugger controlled printf() debugging

::: {.Section1} [A "tracepoint" is a breakpoint that doesn't "break" you into the debugger, it outputs a trace to the Debug console. Apparently, VS2005 has them. Via [Chris Anderson\< ?xml:namespace prefix = o />] ]{style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: Calibri"} :::

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Software engineer salaries in India and China

::: {.Section1}

According to a survey conducted by [Mercer Human Resource Consulting LLC](https://www.mercer.com/ "http://www.mercerhr.com/"), a software engineer in Beijing makes \$13,400 per year. In India, a software engineer makes \$10,300 per year. Salaries in India are growing at 11.5% per year …
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A wiki where every page is a literate program

::: {.Section1} I am interested by Literate Programming, in which both human-readable discussion and compiler-readable code are combined. Not only does such a system allow a document to be unit-tested, it generally allows code samples to be more expressive, because you can re-order code sections to fit the discussion. I’ve …

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Software Development *Is* Program Transformation

::: {.Section1} [Ralph Johnson makes the point that since the majority of work on code is subsequent to its initial creation, the idea that transforming one program into another is not a theoretical exercise, but a fundamental reality of the way things already work. Via [Patrick Logan] ]{style="font-size:11.0pt …

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When to build a DSL

::: {.Section1} This is a technical paper that contains good advice on domain-specific languages. Via [Lambda the Ultimate] :::

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