pmade inc. Articles

Understanding Ruby Singleton Classes

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000

If you learned object oriented programming from one of the more static languages such as C++ or Java, the dynamic nature of Ruby may seem magical and elusive. After running into the syntax dedicated to meta-programming, you may have been left scratching your head, or at least wondering what's happening behind the scenes. Singleton classes, not to be confused with the singleton design pattern, can easily be placed into this head scratching category.

The name itself is confusing, leading people to create alternative names such as: object-specific classes, anonymous classes, and virtual classes. Anonymous classes is one of the better names, but since the source code to the Ruby interpreter uses the term singleton, that's what I'm going to stick with.

Converting SVA Subversion Projects to Git

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0000

If you've been using my Subversion Automation tool (SVA) to manage your Subversion repositories, and you're also thinking about moving to Git, I've got good news.

As long as you have git-svn installed, I have a script and some notes that make it very easy to convert your project from Subversion to a Git repository, with full history, experimental branches, and release tags included.

Behind the Code: Project Planning

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000

In this new series of articles, Behind the Code, I'll be looking at the tools and processes that I've put into place to make me a more efficient and effective developer. I'm hoping to share my experiences, and while doing that, refine the way I work using your feedback.

Today, I'll be talking about project planning, the process of breaking a project into tasks, and estimating the effort to complete those tasks. The artifacts generated during this process can then be used to create a proposal for a client, cost estimations for your boss, or even the start of your project documentation.

The Secret Life of Devalot

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Devalot lives, although you wouldn't know it from just reading this blog. During the last year and a half there have been some interesting improvements made to Devalot, but I made the mistake of not kicking out regular releases.

That all changed a few weeks ago when Isaac Foraker (a long-time friend) stepped up to the plate and assumed the role of Devalot maintainer. If you're excited about Devalot, this move should make you very happy.

DevFi Podcast #2

Mon, 19 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Chris and I strike again with the second installment of the DevFi podcast. If you ignore the fact that I'm using an inferior microphone compared to Chris, it's a pretty good show.

This time around we're talking about releasing software as an open source project, and some of the things that go along with that. We even lightly tread around the topic of open source licensing.

Rails Gotcha #9: Disabled Sessions

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000

I was recently working on a Rails application where sessions were disabled in the application controller (affecting all other controllers), and needed to be turned back on in certain other controllers. Basically, sessions were only needed on the admin controllers.

While testing this application I ran into a few surprises, leading to this 2 in 1 Rails Gotcha, and two patches to Rails edge.

Announcing the DevFi Podcast

Tue, 06 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000

I alluded to this in my last post, but now it's time to make it official. Say hello to the DevFi Podcast.

Chris Shea and I have been working on this for about a month now, and we're pretty excited to release the first episode, a discussion about building software vs. buying vs. forking, and an interesting interview with Dan Berger, the long-time Ruby developer and contributor who forked the interpreter.

New Site, New Feeds

Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000

This is a mixed announcement, warning, and an apology. In just a bit here I'll be launching a complete redesign for pmade.com. With the new site comes a new set of news feeds. I'll be redirecting the old news feeds to the new ones, which hopefully won't break.

Best case, you're going to have a bunch of articles from pmade.com show up as unread, sorry about that. Worst-case you'll have to come to the site and subscribe to the new feeds. But hey, you'll see the new content!

Nested Controllers and Resources

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000

At a recent DeRailed meeting a few of us were talking about nested controllers. Personally, I really like using nested controllers, but I've had all kinds of issues with routing and link generation.

Well, I've finally found the perfect way to nest controllers without all those problems.

A Few Tidbits to Catch Up

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Yeah, it's been awhile, I'm a terrible blogger. Oh well, this post should catch you up.

On January 19th, I'll be starting a two day workshop on Unix Fundamentals. The workshop will be held in the pmade inc. office, in downtown Louisville, Colorado. If you're interested, there's more information over this way.