ZeroMinx

Fight regression

You don't want to fix the same bug several times, do you? When a bug is found, I first write a test to repeat the bug. Then I fix the code. Now every time I want to release a new version, that particular bug is tested yet again.

The 'quick fix' 5 minutes before launch

You're approaching deadline, everything is looking fine. Then, just before launch, a small bug or a tiny new feature has to be added. You can't imagine that would have side effects, can you? Well, that one bit of code, a small module that 'never changes', which you haven't looked at for 12+ months, reacts badly to this change. With good tests in place you catch this before you hit production problems.

07920748555

When writing it you might choose to add spaces, but that'd be for readability, not because of some notion of area codes.

It's clear even from the name that area codes doesn't apply to _mobile_ phone numbers.

Considering the Internets is a really really big place (not just America), that statement is rather quite false.

With landlines, you know which part of your number is the area code, because it has significance. If you call people living near you, you don't dial that code. This behaviour doesn't translate to mobiles.

(note 1; I know I'm not the target audience for any social network)

(note 2; I really dislike the fact that the audiences to gigs are just filled with people holding up their mobile. Instead of trying to get a pic to put on FB, why don't you try enjoy actually being there?!)

Not that it technically changes anything, but Spotify is Swedish.

[I haven't tried Kratko]

Yes, it's quite possible most would withdraw their statements if they were publicly confronted -- but, does that make it better? If I am feeling anger/hatred toward a race, but does not speak up in public, is that not "real racism"?

Are active, stress-free people more likely to have a drink with dinner, or is a drink with dinner helping to relieve stress?

I quite enjoy having a drink after work, especially if it's been a lot of pressure during the day. It helps me relax, disconnect from the work situation. A couple of beers and non-work-related chat will take my mind off any stressful work I've been doing, which could otherwise carry on in my mind throughout the night.

(Not that I disagree with him in general, I just thought this is something to take into account reading this article)

What I was initially looking for was something to back up the claim "it takes a week to recover from a night of serious drinking.". Niels is arguing that this could be true for alcoholics with DT. While I wont argue that, I don't think the original statement was referring to alcoholics, but rather anyone who goes out for a night of serious drinking. I haven't seen any proof for the original statement.

I'm not a doctor in any way, shape or form, but I would still like to argue the running point in Niels' second post, alcohol is a bad idea.. Overconsumption, yes, but that's true for almost anything. I don't think smaller amounts is a bad idea -- on the contrary. I recently heard a statement that the UK recommended limit (21 units per week) was just made up, and studies have shown that you're more likely to live longer if you drink around 40-50 units per week (somewhere after that number, the life expectancy starts dropping and goes below the life expectancy for people not drinking). I'm afraid I can't remember where I heard/saw it though, so I'll have to leave a [citation needed] for myself for the time being.

[citation needed]

Depends on context.. If it's someone learning, or hacking on some personal project, go ahead! It's a great way to learn.

However, if we're talking about a programmer in a commercial company, it's a different story. Your purpose is not to produce the most amount of your own code, your task is to produce a service of some sort. Unless the software/service you're working on a is a database, I expect you would use an existing database (assuming you need one). If the code you're creating needs to manipulate dates, I expect you use an existing library for such things. It will be available, it will be tested, it will handle all edge cases. Why would it be acceptable to spend a lot of time on reinventing that particular wheel, fixing bugs as they arise, etc?

The latter is fairly common in the world of programming, in my experience.

(There's obviously also a big difference between being physically together with the people in a skatepark and sitting on the other end of an IRC session.)