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My name is Max. I’m a software engineer and a writer. I love building things and sharing my knowledge with others.
Why Your Test Automation Obsession Might Be Killing Your Productivity
Let me tell you about my first kitchen disaster. I once tried using a food processor to make scrambled eggs. The result? Something between omelet soup and a motor oil smoothie. That’s exactly what happens when we reach for automation tools without asking: “Does this truly need automating?” When Manual Testing Is Your Kitchen Knife While everyone’s busy chasing the Shiny Tool Syndrome in testing, let’s explore three scenarios where good old manual testing isn’t just sufficient - it’s superior....
Cooking Up Adobe Extensions: A Chef's Guide to ExtendScript Wizardry
Picture this: you’re a digital chef, and Adobe Creative Suite is your kitchen. Extensions are your secret spices - they transform bland workflows into Michelin-starred efficiency. Let’s put on our apron and cook up some script magic that would make Gordon Ramsay nod approvingly (a rare feat indeed). Setting Up Your Scripting Kitchen Before we fire up the pots, let’s organize our tools: ExtendScript Toolkit (ESTK) - Your digital chef’s knife Visual Studio Code with ExtendScript syntax support - The sous chef ZXP Installer - Your serving tray for finished dishes graph TD A[IDE Setup] --> B[Write Script] B --> C[Test in Adobe App] C --> D{Errors?...
Agile as Garlic: When Methodology Gets Stuck in Your Teeth
You know what they say about garlic? The right amount gives flavor - too much ruins the kiss. Agile methodologies are similar. This article comes with a 100% money-back guarantee if you don’t laugh at least once while learning how to avoid becoming an Agile fanatic. The Cult of Agile: When Standups Become Prayers I once saw a team spend 37 minutes debating whether their retro belonged in the “Keep/Stop/Start” matrix or the “Mad/Sad/Glad” spectrum....
Crafting VS Code Extensions: Where JavaScript Meets Magic (and Mild Frustration)
So you want to build VS Code extensions? Excellent choice! You’re about to enter a world where you can make editors bend to your will… provided you survive the initial configuration chaos. Let’s turn that “Hello World” into “Hello Productive Workflow” with some JavaScript wizardry. 1. Setting Up Your Extension Workshop First, arm yourself with these tools: Node.js (v18+ unless you enjoy version errors) Yeoman (npm install -g yo) VS Code Extension Generator (npm install -g generator-code) Now run your initiation ritual: yo code You’ll face The Questionnaire™....
Why Programming Superheroes Need Sidekicks: Debunking the Lone Genius Myth
Picture this: you’re at a coffee shop wearing noise-canceling headphones, hacking away at your terminal while dramatic synthwave music plays in the background. The screen flashes green text as you single-handedly debug a distributed system using raw assembly. Congratulations - you’ve just failed the programming interview for reality. The truth is, software development isn’t a solo sport. Let’s autopsy the “genius programmer” myth with the surgical precision of a stack trace:...