You are currently browsing the monthly archive for February, 2008.
And so another month draws to a close. Hope you’re being productive on the extra day.
- Rush - Unix shell that uses Ruby syntax for its commands. (via Phil Crissman)
- Capistrano 2.2.0 - Now released to the masses.
- GitHub - Secure Git repository hosting.
- Living on the edge (of Rails) #9 - the sleeper edition - Not much going on in the main development line this week.
Moving back to more Rails work for the rest of the week, it looks like.
- git’ing started with RSpec - Pat Maddox shows how to use RSpec directly from the git repository.
- Default Routes Considered Harmful, and Other Rails SEO Tips - Rails for the URL structure obsessed. Personally, I’m not one of them, but I know that a lot of folks are.
- count vs length vs size - Josh Susser explains the difference in terms of Active Record.
- Testing in Rails: Part 11 - Running Unit Tests - More testing for fun and profit.
- Merbful Authentication Initial Merb 0.9 Support - Ready for use, apparently.
Looks like I’ve got some hours free starting in March, so if you’re looking to hire a developer who gets things done, drop me a line.
- The Ruby Programming Language - New book covering Ruby 1.8 and 1.9. Peter Cooper recommends it as the best Ruby book for newcomers.
- Advanced Rails Recipes +14: This new Rails 2.0 book is coming along too. You can already buy it in beta form (as I have).
- Git: Start as a Superior SVN, then Leverage Even More - Chris Bailey explains what’s so special about Git.
Turning my attention back to some Rails work today, I think.
- Rails Multisite Plugin Ready For Prime Time - Good news for me, I think, because I’m involved in cooking up a site that will be able to make good use of this.
- Staying Alive with Thin! - New release of the up-and-coming Thin ruby web server.
I actually have a working Cocoa app that implements all the “must have” features. Moving on to the “nice to have” features now.
- Cocoa JSON Framework - I’m going to have to swap some data between the Cocoa app and a merb site. Looks like this makes it easy, since merb can do native JSON output of anything. I looked into using YAML, but the only existing Cocoa YAML code doesn’t seem to have been revised in several years. I could use a ruby class to do the import, but why not stick to all native Objective C?
- Mac Help Writer - The help authoring scene on OS X is much bleaker than on Windows. This is the best one I’ve found; it builds nice-looking standard help files for the Mac, but I can tell I’m going to be hand-editing HTML files to do anything tricky, as it hits its limits quickly. I looked at several other applications that run on OS X, but they’re all cross-platform, building help files that look like WinHelp in an OS X container. That’s a fail.
- Capistrano 2.2.0 Preview - Eek, I’m not done grokking 2.0 yet. Fortunately the changes are minimal, mainly better git support.
- scope-out-rails - Plugin for adding easy scopes to your models.
QuickTime portion of the Cocoa app is working now. Today’s task: figure out the FTP portion.
- Embedded Cocoa Frameworks - Video tutorial showing how to get a private framework to actually embed itself in your compiled app. I’m sure this information is somewhere in the copious Apple docs, but darned if I could find it.
- Connection Kit - Open-source Cocoa framework bringing some sanity to FTP, SFTP, WebDav, Amazon S3, and some other network protocols. (via Matt Long)
- CoRD - Open source RDP client for the Mac. One less reason to visit the Windows desktop. (I may some day get rid of the remote Windows servers, but for the moment I’m stuck with them).
Having fun working with QuickTime now. For some value of “fun.”
- Git Bundle - TextMate bindings for the new sexy source control system. With prominent projects moving to Git, I probably should figure this stuff out.
- Testing in Rails: Part 10 - Assertions - More in the continuing testing series from Null is Love.
- Peepcode Unlimited - New annual all-you-can-eat subscription from the premiere source of Rails & related podcasts. Tempting.
- Merborial: Up and Running with Merb 0.9.0 (dev): How to install all the pieces from the git repositories.
Got my first Cocoa app up and running last night. Progress!
- SQL on Rails - News of a model-model-model development environment.
- YamlDb for Database-Independent Data Dumps - Rails plugin to dump and load data from any supported database. (via Andrzej)
- Live Mongrel Debugging and Recovery - Some of the fine points of keeping Mongrel in line.
- Living on the edge (of Rails) #8 - the code optimization edition - More changes from the next version of Rails.
Coming off a hellaciously busy early morning full of early-bird kids, so just a couple of links today.
- ibtool(1) - Time to start collecting Mac client links for myself. This one dumps all sorts of stuff from a NIB file to XML, which helped me track down some issues with the code tangle I’ve been handed.
- One-stop JavaScript Unit Testing for Rails 2.0 - Dr. Nic extols the virtues of combining newjs with Rails. Easier testing is a Good Thing.
Having loads of fun figuring out Cocoa, XCode, Core Data, Merb, and DataMapper all at the same time. At least life isn’t boring.
- PicoShot - HTTP-based web site thumbnail generation service, free to use.
- newjs = newgem for JavaScript projects; free TDD suite - Dr. Nic adds some structure to quick and dirty JavaScript projects.
- Google Charts on Rails - A plugin wrapper for Google Charts, which I switched to because I was hitting too many bugs in the gem I was using previously. Of course, then I had to go and fix and extend the plugin to do what I wanted. I’ll have to see about contributing some code back when I get it tidied up.
Looks like a little Cocoa is next on the agenda, with potential Merb/DataMapper and Second Life stints coming soon as well. Do I have the best luck with clients or what?
- Merborial: Getting Started with Merb and DataMapper: A tutorial on the very basics, starting with “what to install.” (via Rob Bazinet)
- OpenID-2.0.2 with Rails-2.0.2 - Getting these bits to play nicely together.
- sudo gem install password - A new gem and a rant all in one.
Hm, there’s a bit of a problem when I’m ready for a weekend & it’s only Thursday.
- Auto-Complete for Text Fields in Rails 2 - A guide to getting it working now that this functionality has been removed to a plugin.
- Living on the edge (of Rails) #7 - improved ActiveRecord::Base#attributes, time zone support - More changes in edge Rails.
The new GrowlMail beta works with OS X 10.5.2 just fine. They ask that people not link to the beta URL, but if you need it and can’t find it drop me a line and I’ll point you in the right direction.
- Firefox 3 Beta 3 - I’m running this full-time now, and it’s my browser of choice. Release notes here.
- BrainBuster 0.8.0 - Logic-based captchas for Rails.
- InfiniteBits - Web and FTP access to Amazon S3. Looks interesting, though other tools (like Transmit) are adding direct FTP integration these days too.
Nailed down another contract yesterday - this one for some design and building work in Second Life. Nice to have the billing base broadened a bit.
- About the Mac OS X 10.5.2 Update - This installed smoothly for me, though I’m not seeing any amazing changes (except for the temporary loss of my beloved GrowlMail again).
- Andrzej’s Rails tips #5 - A couple of nice RSpec-related tips.
- RubyFringe - Rails is too staid for some folks now; here’s a new conference for people who want to work with Ruby stuff (mainly web-related) “outside of the Rails monoculture.”
- Nginx & Memcached, a 400% Boost! - More fiddling with the Rails production stack.
My head cold goes on, but so does the Internet. Let’s see what rummaging around lately has tossed up on my desktop.
- A strftime for Prototype - Should be handy if I ever get around to learning Prototype.
- Ruby Cheat Sheets - A selection of useful aids when learning the language.
- Testing in Rails: Part 9 - Attributes and Callbacks - More in the ongoing series from Null is Love.
I hate being sick. Of course, that doesn’t stop me from catching the latest virus in a house full of kids.
- The Once and Future Ruby.NET - There’s a shakeout going on in Ruby projects targeting .NET. Here’s an entrance to the story.
- Living on the edge (of Rails) #6 - better performance, Git support, and more - The latest news roundup from the cutting edge.
- SwitchPipe: My New Rapid and Easy Way To Deploy Web Apps - A shot at making it easier to deploy Ruby apps on the web.
I wasn’t able to post this yesterday because our T1 line went down for 16 hours. It was almost like living in the boondocks again!
- 21 Merb Links, Tutorials and Other Resources - A roadpmap of merb goodness collected by Peter Cooper.
- RSpec-1.1.3 and ZenTest-3.9.1 - How to match up your RSpec and ZenTest versions.
- Scout - Ruby-based web monitoring and reporting software. Doesn’t appear to be shipping yet.
Delivered another reasonably major feature today. Things are still going well on the Rails front.
- ActiveCouch - A Ruby Wrapper for CouchDB - Yet another thing to learn if I had unlimited time.
- ‘IP’ Police Line - Do Not Cross - Intellectual property shenanigans from IBM. Shame on Pearson for publishing a programming book that explicitly refuses the use of the techniques it covers.
- mephisto 0.8 is out! - New release of this Rails-based blogging software.
- Restful Authentication with all the bells and whistles - Comprehensive tutorial using Rails 2.0.2.
