Safari Becomes Browser of Choice, ReSharper 4 Still Not Out, BUT…

Why, because I'm going to buy an Apple.  Yeah, you heard me, I'm going get one.  Ok, so maybe that isn't a good reason why Safari is going to become the browser of choice.  However Jeff Lynch definitely lays out a few more legitimate reasons in his blog entry "Why Safari May Become the Browser of Choice!"

ReSharper 4 isn't out but there are nightly build.  If you're a hard core enough geek, go and grab the build and get exponential power of…  ReSharper 4.  In a nice Agile like way it states in the entry "ReSharper 4 Nightly Builds – Are You Geek Enough?", that it will be ready when its ready.  Thank you, please don't hurry crap out to market.  That would be bad!  Even though I'd also suspect that beta builds of JetBrains ReSharper are probably better code than 90% of the stuff that comes out to market as full releases.

Make sure to hit up both links from that entry about 3.0 support and of course the nightly builds page.

The last article for this keeping up entry of mine, is Boodhoo's article over on Code Magazine's site, "Individuagility".  The main points of this article I all to often assume are things anyone doing anything remotely development related would do.  I've been incorrect about this far too many times.  The main things that I always find myself implementing far too often are;

1. If you’re not using source code control, stop reading this right now and go and get your code into a source control repository.
2. Get a continuous integration server in place. This is essential if you want to get yourself working in a more agile fashion.
3. Set up automated build scripts to work in conjunction with your continuous integration server. As a small victory, see if you can set up a build that will automatically deploy new builds of your application for you.
4. Start learning an automated unit testing framework.  …and like Boodhoo and many others, mine also is mbUnit.
5. Get some design patterns knowledge.
6. …the last point I really dug from the article is really hard core and philosophically vital, "Now let me make the last and most important point: Become a student of your profession."  Boodhoo is 100% on the money with this idea.  One MUST admit and stay the course for their entire career if they expect to get to and maintain confidence and capability in the profession.  The developer world is NOT for the feint hearted, the un-driven, or the "I just want a job I can have until I retire" mind set.  If those are what you want, go drive tractor trailers, buses, or something of that sort.  Being a software developer will NOT be a good idea for you.

So Boodhoo, Jeff, and Ilya Ryzhenkov I send thanks for the ongoing great write ups, blog entries, and articles.  Keep up the good work.