Hacking the Grepson

More Advent of Code 2024, coming your way. Matt and Mike dig into Day 8 through Day 14, as the puzzles get harder and more complex.

It's finally Advent of Code time again! Matt and Mike kick things off by going through the first 7 days of 2024's puzzles.
* https://adventofcode.com

Advent of Code is not the only periodic programming puzzle game in town. Matt and Mike discuss Everybody Codes, a similar development challenge that is inspired by it.
Note: we spoil the first 2 of 20 quests with our approaches and answers.
* Everybody Codes
* Advent of Code

Ever wanted to automate industry on an alien world? Factorio has got you covered. Matt and Mike finally dig into this fascinating factory simulator that features familiar programming challenges.
* Factorio
* The Planet Crafter
* PlateUp!
* Don't Starve

Matt explains the computer science behind Big O notation. Mike mainly listens.
Big O notation
Previous related episode: P v NP

Matt and Mike talk about Mike's latest web game: Deckdle. Try your hand (oof, sorry) at a new solitaire setup each day, as you attempt to move all the cards in the tableau to your base before your stock runs out!
* Deckdle, a daily solitaire card game
* Solitaire (Wikipedia)
  * Golf variant (Wikipedia)

Rubber duckies may make bath time lots of fun, but they can also make debugging easier. Matt and Mike discuss this curiosity of the development world.

Blogging is a way to share your thoughts about something in a long-form way, and doing so about development or programming can be helpful to others, as well as yourself. Matt and Mike chat about it.

What's with all the sound in this podcast that isn't talking? Mike explains.

You write code, you run it through linting, you run it through tests, it gets built somewhere and gives you a report. But did you have another human being look at it, regardless? Code reviews can have benefits and drawbacks, and Matt and Mike discuss them.

While we probably spend just as much, if not more, time on file formats, the crux of this episode is data formats. What are they? Why so many? Matt and Mike discuss.

Sure, you wrote some code. But have you considered...rewriting it? Actually, just refactor it a little, for the sake of Future You. Matt and Mike talk about a man who once tried some IRL "refactoring" and the realizations that came from it.
* How refactoring almost ruined my marriage

The Twelve-Factor App is a methodology for building web apps, especially those referred to as SaaS (Software as a Service). Matt and Mike continue diving into this intriguing concept and go over factors 6 to 12.
* 12factor.net
* Github source for 12factor.net

The Twelve-Factor App is a methodology for building web apps, especially those referred to as SaaS (Software as a Service). Matt and Mike introduce this intriguing concept and go over factors 1 to 5.
* 12factor.net
* Github source for 12factor.net

All the software we use these days is much better at getting, retaining, and deciphering user data than it was in the past. How that's done and whether it's a net positive is a good discussion topic, and Matt and Mike are here to do some analysis.

Sometimes a job that is done well solo can be done even better with a compatriot. Matt and Mike discuss the pros and cons of reciprocal development.

Programs you interact with, especially on the Internet, usually have some kind of Application Programming Interface. Matt and Mike query this episode's API and let you know the results.

There are both pros and cons to developing alone or with others. Matt and Mike discuss what those are, unsurprisingly, as that is the point of our podcast.

They may not be as relaxing to experience as the lowercase version, but SPAs, or Single Page Applications, are just as, if not more, important to our modern world wide web. Matt and Mike book an appointment and tell you how it goes.

One or more of the hosts of Hacking the Grepson is changing their job! Matt and Mike discuss the ups and downs of moving from one work establishment to another.