When Proprietary Software Saves Your Bacon: A Pragmatist's Guide

When Proprietary Software Saves Your Bacon: A Pragmatist's Guide

Picture this: You’re building a rocket-powered skateboard for cats (don’t ask). You’ve got 48 hours till demo day. Do you A) Grab an open-source framework and hope the community answers your 3AM Stack Overflow post, or B) Use a proprietary SDK that comes with 24/7 support and a “I-break-you-call” guarantee? If you chose B, congratulations - you’ve just avoided becoming another “my startup died” Twitter thread. The Toolbox Principle: Why Proprietary Has Its Place Every developer loves open-source tools - they’re like LEGO blocks for adults....

April 13, 2025 · 4 min · 676 words · Maxim Zhirnov
The Corporate Raccoons: How Big Tech Hoards Open Source Acorns

The Corporate Raccoons: How Big Tech Hoards Open Source Acorns

Picture this: I’m sitting at 3 AM debugging an obscure YAML indentation error in my open-source project, when an email arrives from “Enterprise Support Team” at MegaCorp™. They need urgent help implementing my library… to power their new AI-driven lawnmowing SaaS. My unpaid labor just became a critical path item for robotic grass-cutting. Ah, the smell of fresh hypocrisy in the morning! The Infinite Buffet Paradox Modern tech giants treat open-source like an all-you-can-eat buffet where they never have to bus tables....

April 13, 2025 · 3 min · 546 words · Maxim Zhirnov
Clojure 101: A Quirky Journey into the Lisp That Conquered the JVM

Clojure 101: A Quirky Journey into the Lisp That Conquered the JVM

Picture this: you’re at a Java developers’ convention when a ninja suddenly backflips onto the stage. It’s wearing parentheses-shaped throwing stars and whispers “immutability is the way.” Congratulations - you’ve just met Clojure, the Lisp dialect that infiltrated the JVM to make functional programming cool again. Let’s dissect this mysterious warrior paradoxically described as both “ancient Lisp” and “modern solution.” Setting Up Your Clojure Dojo First, install Leiningen - our build tool/shuriken sharpener:...

April 12, 2025 · 3 min · 437 words · Maxim Zhirnov
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