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1500 questions
65
votes
5 answers

Is backing up a MySQL database in Git a good idea?

I am trying to improve the backup situation for my application. I have a Django application and MySQL database. I read an article suggesting backing up the database in Git. On the one hand I like it, as it will keep a copy of the data and the code…
wobbily_col
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65
votes
5 answers

What does HATEOAS offer for discoverability and decoupling besides ability to change your URL structure more or less freely?

Lately I've been reading about Hypermedia as the Engine of Application State (HATEOAS), the constraint that is claimed to make a web API "truly RESTful". It boils down to basically including links with every response to the possible transitions you…
Botond Balázs
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65
votes
6 answers

Is an event loop just a for/while loop with optimized polling?

I'm trying to understand what an event loop is. Often the explanation is that in an event loop, you do something until you're notified that an event has occurred. You then handle the event and continue doing what you were doing before. To map the…
TheMeaningfulEngineer
  • 951
65
votes
8 answers

How do I deal with a difficult programmmer joining an open source project?

I have an open source script for a specific site (I'm trying not to call anything by name here) that I and a few other developers recently moved to GitHub. We've gotten several new developers since we moved to the new system, including one very…
Nathan2055
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65
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6 answers

How does a non-technical manager add value to team of self-motivated software developers?

I am seeing a lot of programmers turning away from management and administration roles. They want to build stuff. And as a result, a lot of these positions are filled by non-technical people. I fail to see how they add value. Is scheduling meetings,…
Senthil Kumaran
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65
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9 answers

How do you debug without an IDE?

Every time I look for an IDE (currently i'm tinkering with Go), I find a thread full of people recommending Vi, Emacs, Notepad++ etc. I've never done any development outside of an IDE; I guess I've been spoiled. How do you debug without an IDE? Are…
ConditionRacer
  • 5,692
65
votes
8 answers

Why is NoSQL faster than SQL?

Recently I was asked: Why is NoSQL faster than SQL? I didn't agree with the premise of the question... it's just nonsense for me personally. I can't see any performance boost by using NoSQL instead of SQL. Maybe SQL over NoSQL, yes but not in that…
cnd
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65
votes
4 answers

what is the purpose of arrows?

I am learning functionnal programming with Haskell, and I try to grab concepts by first understanding why do I need them. I would like to know the goal of arrows in functional programming languages. What problem do they solve? I checked…
Simon Bergot
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64
votes
10 answers

When is code "legacy"?

We've all done it, we've labelled some code (often stuff we've inherited) as "legacy"? But it's still used in the production systems - so is it really legacy? And what makes it legacy? Should we shy away from this unwarranted labelling of perfectly…
Nim
  • 1,363
64
votes
17 answers

Why use an OO approach instead of a giant "switch" statement?

I am working in a .Net, C# shop and I have a coworker that keeps insisting that we should use giant Switch statements in our code with lots of "Cases" rather than more object oriented approaches. His argument consistently goes back to the fact that…
James P. Wright
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64
votes
19 answers

Which skills would you expect and appreciate in a Junior Software Engineer?

I recently finished my Master of Science in Software Engineering, and I am about to start my professional career in a few weeks. My role will be as a Junior Developer for a company which develops software using Java & related technologies (among…
Bartzilla
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64
votes
10 answers

I never use pointers in my C++ code. Am I coding C++ wrong?

This question may sound strange to you, but I am learning C++ all by myself. I have nobody whom I could ask for mentoring and I would be very glad for some advice. I have started recently to program in C++ (about 3 - 4 intensive months with about 6…
curiouscupcake
  • 637
64
votes
10 answers

How do I mitigate a scenario where a user goes to pay, but the price is changed mid-request?

This is kind of similar to the Two Generals' Problem, but not quite. I think there is a name for it, but I just can't remember it right now. I am working on my website's payment flow. Scenario Alice wants to pay Bob for a service. Bob has quoted…
turnip
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64
votes
2 answers

Why use `const foo = () => {}` instead of `function foo() {}`

Edit added 2+ years later I "checked" the @dandavis answer because it answers my original question, giving reasons to prefer const foo. However, I am completely convinced by the @Wayne Bloss answer that function foo() is generally…
user949300
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64
votes
10 answers

When would you use a long, string ID instead of a simple integer?

I'd like to use Youtube as an example: they use IDs in the form of PEckzwggd78. Why don't they use simple integers? Or imgur.com - they also use IDs such as 9b6tMZS for images and galleries. Not sequential integers. Why don't they use integers…
Rakori
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