DEV Community: microideation

Keeping up with programming and tech is tough. So I created an app that breaks down the concept and present as micro content.

microideation — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 14:19:51 +0000

I used to follow different blogs, sites, and other resources for keeping up with the technology and always ended up spending more time reading the whole background instead of getting info on the crux of the matter.

This gave me the idea to create a community where the core concept / topic is presented as a short 30-second read called "ideation". Ideation is represented using images and rich text with emphasis and highlights on the relevant parts and may contain links to related content.

Content samples for different categories
https://www.microideation.com/programming.html

The microideation app has got more than 300+ ideations on Kotlin, Java, ReactJS, Spring framework, Data structures, Algorigtms and more ..

Download as free resource
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microideation.app

Micro content on programming languages and concepts

microideation — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 16:09:18 +0000

Kotlin

Data structures

React

The microideation app has got more than 300+ ideations on

Kotlin
Java
ReactJS
Spring framework,
Data structures
Algorigtms and more and

It's free and growing

More info :
https://www.microideation.com/programming.html

Download
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microideation.app

The first ever shorts based content on programming for keeping up with technology ( Java, Javascript, Kotlin, DS & Algo ... )

microideation — Mon, 31 May 2021 14:44:57 +0000

I am experienced developer and used to follow different blogs, sites and other resources for keeping up with the technology. I always ended up spending more time reading the whole background instead of getting info on the crux of the matter.

This gave me the idea to a create a community where the core concept /topic is presented as a short of 30 second read called "ideation". An ideation is represented using images and rich text with emphasis and highlights on the relevant parts. The ideations are self contained and concrete in explaining a single topic. Each of them may have links to other ideations that are related.

The ideations are presented as simple swipe flow that brings up new content each time you swipe. You can also follow a specific subject to see content from that subject only.

The app currently contains over 250+ solid ideations explaining the topics and core concepts on

Java
Javascript
Kotlin
React JS
React Native
Data structures
Algorithms
Database ( DDL & DML )
Spring framework ( including Spring boot, testing )
Application security ( vulnerabilities )
Version control
Basic Linus commands

As you can see, the app has coverage on the topics for a full stack developer.
The app is currently in beta and is free for the first 1000 users.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microideation.app

Features

Simple swipe gestures for ideation switching
Linking to related ideations
Freezing of a topic of subject to follow shorts on them
ideation series ( Ordered list of shorts forming a concept )
Ranking , upvote, downvote and favorite options
Search and save ideations
Notifications on new ideations as reminders to learn
Registration is not mandatory ( You can check as a guest )

If you are someone with interest and experience in the programming languages or concepts, you can start creating ideations and become and ideator. We plan to build this as a community and also incentivize and monetize the ideators based on their contributions and reach.

Creators Dilemma: What to do after you create a personal product?

microideation — Fri, 30 Apr 2021 16:34:55 +0000

Word of Caution

If you thought this post is my advice on what needs to be done after you have developed a product (app/website), you are going to be disappointed.

I am myself a creator who is at a fix as to what needs to be done next after you have created something that you think is useful.

I am not putting my app link in this post to make sure that it doesn't get degraded as self-promotion. This post is more about me ( or a creator ) asking for advice/help from more experienced folks out there.

Bit of history

During the lock-down of 2020, I had an idea to create a simple and intuitive way of creating and discovering content based on shorts ( 30 seconds read). The idea was to present the crux of the topic using images and rich text as shorts and discover them using simple swipe gestures.

I spend almost 8 months working on the backend ( Spring java microservices ), creator portal ( ReactJS ), and the app ( React native ). Now, I am primarily a backend developer and I learned to React and React native purely for the purpose of developing this project.

The same is hosted in GCP with some monthly billing cost and also to provide an idea of what it is, I created over 200+ shorts on Java, Spring framework, React, Data structures, and almost all the things programming I know about. This took another 2 months.

Even though I used the term "product", I am envisioning this as more of a platform for the experts to create and the users to discover. I don't believe in running ads and would love to provide this as free for as long as I can financially support it. If it ever reaches a level of users where I can no longer support it personally, I plan to charge a nominal subscription so that I can present quality content and also provide a revenue stream to the top creators.

Now the Dilemma

Since this is not a cat video I shot and uploaded to YouTube, I didn't have the option to share it with friends and family to like and share.

Of course, I can share this with my friends and family and they may say something nice about it and download it once, but that does not provide constructive feedback or momentum to the overall idea.

As a developer, this where my skills end. I have built something from scratch that I believe is useful to my fellow developers or any learning aspirants, but I don't have a platform or place where I could actually showcase and publish.

I tried online channels like Reddit and HackerNews, but all of them outright banned or rejected the posts saying that it is self-promoting and that I was not an active member of the communities. I totally agree with their stands as I have set rules for my platform, they also have their own. But wherever I was able to post ( some lesser-known programming reddits), there was a good response from the users and they found it really useful.

Now the question is, what am I supposed to do at this point?. There is no point in spending so much personal time and money on something that doesn't have enough audience. The saddest part is that I am not able to reach the right audience. Whoever I managed to reach actually likes it but that percentage is pretty low.

I know that this is not just my case, there are several others who are in the same position as me. I would really appreciate it if you guys have any general advice or can point me in the right direction or group where it makes sense.

Regards,
A weary fellow developer

Learn programming using shorts ( 30 seconds read )

microideation — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 16:45:50 +0000

Learning a programming concept or a language is always an effort where you need to find dedicated time and space. Shorts-based learning splits a particular subject in the form of simple topics explained in less than 30 seconds read content using rich text and media.

Microideation - Free shorts based programming content

Microideation is a free app that allows the creation and discovery of the shorts ( ideations) on various Computer science and programming concepts.

Start learning programming concepts as microideations. These are short reads of 30 seconds that explain a topic completely using rich text and images.

The app is currently in BETA. Please provide your valuable feedbacks. It is absolutely free of cost for the early access users ( No ads, no mandatory registration).

Download from playstore:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/de...

You can do the following using the app

Follow preferred languages or concepts
Bookmark and favorite ideations for future reference
View linked ideations that are related concepts
View ideations series ( Ordered list of ideations that forms a concept )

The ideations are presented one at a time and can be moved to the next using simple swipe gestures.

The content is created by experts in the field and has provided the concise information required on the specific topic.

Currently, there are content on

Java
ReactJS
React native
Algorithms
Data structures
Application security etc.

If you are an expert in a field and would like to create ideations, you can register as an ideator and start ideating for free.

Some screens

More Details:
https://portal.microideation.com/about

Shorts ( 30 seconds read ) on application security vulnerabilities every dev should know

microideation — Tue, 06 Apr 2021 14:15:31 +0000

Security is always an afterthought in the development process. But with the increasing number of cyber-attacks and data leaks, the concept of application security and the requirement to embed them from the design stage itself is now critical than ever before.

Most of the attacks that lead to data breaches and leaks are results of simple programmer mistakes or lack of security awareness.

Please find the short reads on the top 5 vulnerabilities that are causing major security risks in the application explained in the form of microideations.

1.Cross site scripting ( XSS )

2.Cross site scripting ( XSS ) - Mitigations

3.Improper input validation

4.Improper input validation - Mitigations
5.Cross site request forgery
6.Improper restriction of operations
7.SQL Injection

You can discover, navigate and bookmark these and other development-related ideation content on the microideation app for free ( no mandatory registration, no ads ) .

Download the app
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microideation.app

Shorts ( 30 seconds ) read on ReactJS HTTP for every developer

microideation — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 14:41:14 +0000

ReactJS is a modern and powerful framework for creating front-end applications. Calling an API for retrieving data is a common operation and there are several ways to achieve the same in ReactJS.

Below are shorts ( #microideations ) on different reactjs HTTP topics that you can save for quick reference.

They are helpful to get you started as a beginner or refresh your memory if you are an experienced developer.

Clean and minimal Ubuntu system setup for developer productivity

microideation — Fri, 26 Feb 2021 17:01:52 +0000

The system setup is an integral part of the day-to-day life of any developer. After all, we spend more than half of our wake-up time in front of the system.

So it is necessary to make sure that we have set up the system to be as productive and functional as possible.

The choice of the operating system is not a concern as long as you are comfortable with the system and knows the tweaking for making it as much as yours.

In the below video, I am showcasing my setup using the Ubuntu system running Gnome. The different Utilities, shortcuts, and developer workflow can be seen.

Please note that I am not claiming that the above is the best setup for every developer. This is something that has worked for me well.

You can also check out the dark mode version of the setup I used to have.

I switched from "cool" dark mode to a more "clean" light mode theme due to my own reasons which I will discuss in a different post.

About me

You can read my profile in the below link
https://www.microideation.com/mi-profile.html

I am currently working on a next-gen casual learning platform that presents the topics as simple 30 second read contents.

You can read about that more on
https://www.microideation.com/
https://portal.microideation.com/about

If you are a developer trying to learn programming or want to refresh your memory of different topics, you can download and view the ideations for free.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microideation.app

Shorts ( 30 seconds read ) on data structures every developer should know

microideation — Thu, 25 Feb 2021 14:39:59 +0000

Following are the quick reference links on the data-structure every developer should be aware of. Click on the respective links to view the microideation (30-second reads) or bookmark them for future reference.

They are helpful to get you started as a beginner or refresh you memory if you are an experienced developer.

Handy shorts on reactjs for every developer

microideation — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 17:03:21 +0000

Learning a programming language or a concept is a time-consuming process and need to find the dedicated time.

Imagine being able to learn the topics as 30-second reads and swipe through them as you would do on social media, that is what Microideation is all about.

Microideation is a 500 or less character explanation of a self-contained topic. You can use this as a quick reference for your queries or casually swipe through to learn interesting and useful facts about your favorite programming language/framework.

This can work as an introduction to beginners and a refresher to the experienced folks.

ReactJS Content

You can see the content on reactjs below.

There are over 150+ microideations currently and new content is getting added every day. Download and use the app as a quick reference or for acquiring the latest information on your favorite language or frameworks.

Try it out

The app is totally free ( in terms of cost as well as "ads") and is currently being supported personally. This started as a quarantine project ( built on reactjs, react-native, and java-based micro-services) for creating a to-the-point content by developers for developers.

Download the app
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microideation.app

More details
https://www.microideation.com

Quick reference & casual learning of topics for every developer

microideation — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 16:36:25 +0000

Programming and development require being updated about the latest trends in the area as well as remembering the basics of the language and libraries that you use every day.

The general instinct of a developer is to search for a query or problem in the stackoverflow and copy-paste the content to match the requirements. This is fine when you are trying to get things done.

But when we are really trying to learn and deep dive into a concept, we need to be able to go through the different topics and understand them in simple terms.

Microideation

Microideation is a platform by someone like you who wanted to keep referring to learning concepts in a simpler way. Microideation is a topic explained in 500 or fewer characters using rich text and images. They are self-contained and you can swipe through them and learn in a casual way. Each interaction brings up an unseen but preferred content. You can follow an interesting subject or skip to the next one.

Sample content ( Data structures )

You can see a sample of the Microideations in the below video where the common data structures are explained using simple microideations.

There are over 150+ microideations currently and new content is getting added every day.

I present this as a resource to the developers created by developers for casual learning. The app is totally free ( in terms of cost as well as "ads") and is currently being supported personally. This started as a quarantine project ( built on reactjs, react-native, and java-based micro-services) and has picked up traction.

Be a contributor !!

I appeal to you if you are an expert in your field for contributing the content as microideations. The app also recognizes you as an ideator ( contributor) and displays the profile with the number of favorites and views you have received.

Try it out

Download the app
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microideation.app

More details
https://www.microideation.com

Basic data-structures every programmer should know pt1: Ref cards

microideation — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 16:15:31 +0000

The data structure is a method of organizing the data for effective use.
It is important to understand the different data structures available for understanding and approaching a specific problem effectively.
Below are some of the data structure ref cards from the microideation app.

Arrays

Linked List

Doubly linked list

Circular linked list

Casual learning is a method of learning the topics that are split into simple self-contained content ( preferably within 500 characters ). Programming is a wonderful area for casual learning as you can understand the concepts as simple explanations. It's a simple approach for beginners to get started as well as experienced programmers to refer to as reference cards.

For this and more content on data structure and other programming topics, you can download and use the microideation app for free ( no mandatory registration). You have the ability to view related ideations or to freeze an interesting topic/subject and follow.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microideation.app

More details
https://www.microideation.com