DEV Community: Michael Baas

Want to learn a new language and be rewarded?

Michael Baas — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 10:05:39 +0000

Dyalog Ltd invites you to use the APL programming language and your problem solving skills to compete for a total of USD 6,500 in cash prizes and a paid trip to the next Dyalog user meeting.

Would you like to be able to translate know-how into computer-based solutions quickly and efficiently? APL is an array-oriented programming language that will change the way you think about problems and data. It doesn't take long to learn enough to participate in the competition. Many previous winners of the competition learned APL after they heard about the competition – APL is easy to learn and fun to use, and this is your opportunity to profit from the experience!

(Disclaimer: I work for Dyalog and worked on the implementation with a few colleagues)

If you're repeatedly visiting the same Zoom-Room

Michael Baas — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 12:13:35 +0000

Here's a little "secret" hack I found to make zoom-meetings easier. My company has a Pro-Account and therefore we have a meeting-room with a constant address. So I wondered if I could make it easier to attend meetings in that room. "Wouldn't it be nice if I could just launch zoom.exe with a room-ID?"

Hmm, that didn't work. As I digged deeper, I found that you can launch the URL https://zoom.us/j/{magic_number} and are redirected to the zoom-app (this is with MS Windows, but I assume Linux/Mac will have similar behaviour). Unfortunately this feels a bit "indirect" and needs confirmation etc. - didn't like that too much.

So I had a look at what this redirect actually does and found that it simply "translates" this into a call to zoommtg://zoom.us/join?action=join&confno={magic_number} which windows then opens - and that goes directly into the Zoom-app. So if you create a shortcut on the desktop (or in your favourite launcher) with that URL, it'll open Zoom to that room any time you click it :)

Happy zooming!

P.S: I labelled it a "secret" hack, because even Zoom-suuport does not seem to know this! ;)

What does a bug do to you?

Michael Baas — Sun, 07 Jun 2020 10:39:27 +0000

Last week I started my weekly report to management with the words "a frustratingly buggy week". And only afterwards I did fully realize that I might be on a journey to find a new approach of thinking about bugs.

(I'm sorry if I seem to jump between various issues here - this is not a finished academic research, but rather a thought process in the making. So I can only show various building blocks and hope that we can we have a discussion which might lead to some learnings...)

I have some early childhood memories about a software-bug: my grandma was working as accountant in a large tea-company that implemented their own accounting software (1970'ish). A few days before going live they discovered severe bugs...and ultimately the lead-dev commmited suicide!

In my job in a software-company I have 2 (or more) roles: I develop software for end-users as well as internal use - and I'm also getting involved in the QA of our flagship-product. So I can commit bugs and am affected by them! ;)

My thinking was that a bug is an offensive thing that interrupts productive work and that needs to be fixed quickly so that I does not affect my "rate of output". The fact that I perceive them so harshly may have to do with personal experience as a long-time independent developer (who needed to finish projects to make a living).

But there is another way to see bugs: "Some of us find debugging intellectually stimulating and are perversely attracted to it. "(Dijkstra or Hoare or Wirth?)

Where do you find yourself on that scale? And what about "corporate culture" dealing with bugs?

Learn a new skill & win twice!

Michael Baas — Fri, 08 May 2020 13:45:07 +0000

Do you want to challenge your programming and problem-solving skills in a fun, brain-teasing competition?
Then join the 12th annual APL Problem Solving Competition and compete for
cash prizes and a trip to attend the annual Dyalog Ltd user meeting. You have until 31 July 2020 to submit your entry.

See http://www.dyalogaplcompetition.com/ for more information.

NB: There are even cash-prizes available for referrers! ;)

(I said "win twice" because you will (1) win experience through the process and (2) may even win the contest...)