Hacking the Grepson

Do you process new information from the bottom-up, or from the top-down? The potential answer to this can be complicated. Matt and Mike use the usual software development to answer the question, but also branch off into everything from woodworking to ecological concerns.

Facades, adapters, interfaces...these are all types of abstractions, a powerful tool in programming to hide a more complex system so that users or consumers can better utilize the power contained underneath them. Matt and Mike peel back the layers.

You could work on a software project without version control. It doesn't impede your ability to change things and deploy. But you'd be working without a net. Matt and Mike dive into the wonderful world of not having to keep both file1.js AND file1a.js.

The final days of Advent of Code 2024 have finally concluded. Matt, Mike, and Richard finish up their discussion of Days 20-25.
* Advent of Code
* Richard's Day 21 notes
* Richard's Day 24 notes

Our recounting of the trials and tribulations of Advent of Code 2024 continue apace, this time with returning special guest Richard, here to help Mike and Matt use intelligence, both human and artificial, to tackle Day 15 through 19.
* https://adventofcode.com

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.