The Case Against Code Golf: When Clever Code is Bad Code

The Case Against Code Golf: When Clever Code is Bad Code

Picture this: you’ve just inherited a codebase where every function looks like a cat walked across a keyboard. Variables named x1, a_, and p0lyg0n stare back at you like cryptic runes. As your eyes glaze over, you realize - someone thought they were playing Code Golf: The Developer Edition. Let’s talk about why we need to take away their clubs. What Even Is Code Golf? Code golf is the art of solving problems using the fewest possible characters - like writing Shakespeare with emojis....

April 12, 2025 · 4 min · 680 words · Maxim Zhirnov
Darting Through the Web: A Pragmatic Journey into Flutter's Secret Weapon

Darting Through the Web: A Pragmatic Journey into Flutter's Secret Weapon

So you want to build web apps that don’t just run, but sprint across browsers? Let me introduce you to Dart - the caffeinated sibling of JavaScript that Flutter Web uses to create experiences smoother than a barista’s latte art. We’ll skip the theoretical fluff and dive straight into the code-covered trenches. By the end, you’ll be compiling web apps faster than I burn through coffee during debugging sessions. From Zero to Dart Hero in 3 Acts Act I: Dart’s Superpowers (That JavaScript Wishes It Had) Dart is like TypeScript’s cooler cousin who does parkour....

April 11, 2025 · 4 min · 671 words · Maxim Zhirnov
When Proprietary Protocols Outshine Open Standards: A Developer's Contrarian Guide

When Proprietary Protocols Outshine Open Standards: A Developer's Contrarian Guide

Let’s start with a confession: I once tried to build a smart home using only open protocols. My lights sang MQTT lullabies, my thermostat spoke CoAP poetry, and my security cameras… well, they kept inviting strangers to the party. That’s when I learned the secret sauce of digital relationships - sometimes you need monogamy with proprietary protocols to make things really work. 1. Tight Integration & Optimization: The Performance Marriage Picture this: You’re trying to coordinate a flash mob (open protocols) vs....

April 11, 2025 · 3 min · 603 words · Maxim Zhirnov
Building an Application Performance Monitoring Cockpit with New Relic

Building an Application Performance Monitoring Cockpit with New Relic

When Your Application Starts Breathing Fire Let me tell you a secret: modern applications are like dragons. Magnificent when tamed, but prone to setting your infrastructure on fire when neglected. That’s where New Relic swoops in like a knight in shining armor - except instead of a sword, it wields distributed tracing and 780+ integrations. Step 1: Agent Installation - The Dragon Taming 101 First, we need to implant a tiny monitoring chip in our fiery beast....

April 10, 2025 · 3 min · 481 words · Maxim Zhirnov
Coding in the Shadows: When Tutorials Cross the Moral Firewall

Coding in the Shadows: When Tutorials Cross the Moral Firewall

Let’s get one thing straight - I didn’t write this article from a dimly lit basement using a burner laptop. Though I did consider wearing sunglasses indoors for dramatic effect. The dark web’s programming tutorials present a classic “spiderman problem” - with great technical power comes great ethical responsibility. Today, we’ll dissect this digital Janus face while building actual tools (because what’s philosophy without a little code gymnastics?). The Dual-Edged ....

April 10, 2025 · 4 min · 676 words · Maxim Zhirnov