DEV Community: Samreen

The Best Dev Blogs

Samreen — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 16:06:41 +0000

Want to stay ahead in the fast-paced world of development?

Dive into the best developer blogs to learn about the latest trends, techniques, and tools.

From mastering new languages to contributing to open-source projects on GitHub, these blogs are your go-to resources for continuous learning and growth.

increment.com: This blog is for devs who want to level up their planning game. They talk about the struggles of software development planning and dish out tips to make it smoother sailing.
blog.pragmaticengineer: It’s packed with insights on scaling tech, career growth, and what it’s really like working in big tech companies.
blog.ploeh: Mark Seemann's blog is all about clean code, functional programming, and software design. He breaks down complex concepts in a way that’s easy to follow, making it a great read for devs looking to sharpen their skills and think deeper about coding principles.
Dave Farley: Dave Farley's blog is a go-to spot for anyone into software development, especially if you're curious about DevOps, continuous delivery, and agile practices.
Hacker News: A bulletin board for anything tech-related.
Haoyi's Programming Blog: All about making Scala programming easier and more approachable.
/dev/lawyer: Great legal blog for tech people
Pythonspeed: Packed with handy tips, tutorials, and deep dives to help you speed up your Python code and make your apps run smoother.
Arul's Blog: About all things of tech, like how to install Raspberry Pi OS, generate random numbers in Python, and even automate Facebook posts.
The Engineering Manager: A blog for engineering managers, how they can be strong leaders and create a plan for their team and also how to keep this plan relevant and important over time.

You can also check these blogs too:

Feel free to share your favorite dev blog in the comments section!

Streamline Plots: NumPy to Jupyter, No Loops

Samreen — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 17:37:27 +0000

Tired of writing loops for every plot?

Imagine a world where you can create any kind of plot you desire with a single, powerful function. No more tedious loops, just a clean and concise API that handles everything for you.

Ever get tired of writing endless loops just to make a basic plot? Wouldn't it be awesome to have a super-powered plot1 function that takes your data, throws in some options for size, title, and maybe a scatter plot (with your favorite color!), and spits out a ready-to-go plot you can customize any way you want?

Imagine being able to overlay it, mask it, stretch it, or twist it into any shape – all within the frame, canvas, or memory spot you need. Sounds pretty sweet, right?

Well, guess what? I took this exact idea and slapped it onto a mug-detecting neural network in just three lines of code! (Check out examples/mug_objectron/demo.py for the magic). This lets you play around with the detector in the real world – way cooler than endless loops, wouldn't you say?

Why Use It:

Current Python plotting tools, like Matplotlib (and its clones), make you jump through 3 to 6 steps just to get your plots in an easy-to-work-with array format, like ndarray. Basically, they force you to grab a screenshot of the plot, buffer it back as pixel/image tensors, which slows things down by a few milliseconds every frame—definitely not ideal.

That kind of workflow is a major drag, especially when you need to tweak, render, publish, or create GIFs. It's even worse if you're doing real-time stuff, like physical testing, robotics, or computer vision, where every millisecond counts. The typical approach just isn’t fast enough to handle real-time feedback for things like physical manipulation of your setup or debugging a camera feed.

The code I’m talking about is a fresh, more efficient rewrite that doesn’t suffer from the same issues as Matplotlib. It's vectorized, which is a big deal in the ML/AI space, and can be directly integrated into visual neural networks. Plus, it’s perfect for robotics, where you need to control things in real-time, like steering a drone while adjusting a plot based on the feedback you're getting. It’s a solid tool for real-time plotting and visual debugging in computer vision applications or any scenario where you need a Python plotting library that’s actually composable and doesn’t slow you down.

Instalation

You can copy justpyplot.py file code respecting the license; For use in Jupyter notebooks its convienent to:

pip install justpyplot

Ready to give it a try? Head over to its GitHub repository for more details and to start experimenting with its code.

Stand Out in the AI Crowd: Build Your Career with Open Source

Samreen — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 13:33:47 +0000

Dive into Open Source, Build Skills, and Shape the Future of Tech!

In today's rapidly evolving tech landscape, where artificial intelligence (AI) is driving innovation at an unprecedented pace, standing out as a developer can be a daunting task.
While traditional qualifications and experience are certainly valuable, there's another avenue that can significantly boost your job prospects: active participation in open-source projects.

By contributing to open-source initiatives, you not only showcase your technical skills but also demonstrate your commitment to collaboration, community involvement, and a growth mindset. These qualities are highly sought after by employers in the AI field, as they align with the collaborative and open nature of AI development.

Let's explore why open-source contributions are a strategic move for landing your dream job in the AI era.

What Are Open-Source Projects?

Open-source projects are software initiatives where the source code is made freely available for anyone to view, use, modify, and distribute. This transparency allows developers from around the world to collaborate, improve the code, and innovate collectively. Unlike proprietary software, which restricts access to its source code, open-source projects foster a community-driven approach, encouraging contributions from diverse developers with varying levels of expertise. Engaging with open-source projects not only helps you gain practical experience but also provides an opportunity to learn from and network with other professionals in the field.

Check out this video for a step-by-step guide on getting high paying job through Open-source Contribution!

Benefits of Contributing to Open Source:

Contributing to open-source projects can be a game-changer for your career as a developer. Here’s how:

Skill Development: Working on open-source projects is a fantastic way to sharpen your coding skills and learn from others. You’ll get hands-on experience and pick up tips from seasoned developers that you might not find in a classroom.

Portfolio Building: Your contributions can really make your portfolio shine. Showcasing real-world projects where you've played a key role can catch the eye of potential employers and give your resume a boost.

Understanding Real-World Projects: Open-source projects often tackle real-world issues, giving you a sneak peek into practical software development, project management, and user needs. It’s like a crash course in what it’s really like to work on big projects.

Visibility: Regularly contributing high-quality code to popular projects can get you noticed by industry folks. This could lead to exciting new opportunities, whether its custom projects, job offers, or consulting requests.

Here's a tip: If you're looking to get noticed on GitHub, keep in mind that issues are mainly used for tracking bugs and feature requests, not for networking. People won’t easily find a way to connect with you directly. In fact, some companies have had to go the extra mile—like one CEO who had to track down a contributor’s Twitter handle just to publicly offer him a job! So, if you want to make it easier for folks to reach you, don’t forget to include your email and social media handles on your GitHub profile. You never know who might be looking!

Project Management Skills: Working on open-source projects can also boost your skills in organizing code and managing issues, making you a pro at handling projects efficiently.

Giving Back: If you’ve benefited from open-source software, contributing is a great way to give back. It’s rewarding to support the tools and technologies that have helped you along the way.

How to Get Started and Find the Right Open-Source Projects

Finding the right open-source project to contribute to can be both exciting and a bit daunting if you’re new to it. Here’s a more detailed guide to help you get started:

Explore Popular Platforms: GitHub is the most popular platform for open-source projects, but there are others like GitLab, SourceForge, Codeberg and Bitbucket. Start by searching for projects related to your interests.
Look for "Good First Issues": Many repositories tag issues that are suitable for newcomers with labels like “good first issue,” “beginner-friendly,” or “help wanted.” These are great starting points and are usually well-documented.
Check Out Open-Source Communities: Websites like Open-Source Guide and CodeTriage help you discover projects in need of contributions. Additionally, community forums and Slack channels related to your tech stack often have project recommendations.
Contribute to Projects You Use: If you’re already using open-source tools or libraries, consider contributing to them. Your firsthand experience with the software makes your contributions valuable and relevant.

Participate in Events:

Hacktoberfest: An annual event in October where participants are encouraged to contribute to open-source projects. It’s a great way to start contributing and earn rewards.
Google Summer of Code: A program that pairs students with open-source organizations to work on projects over the summer. It’s a structured way to get involved, though it’s aimed at students.
Open-Source Contributor Days: Various tech companies and organizations host these events, which are designed to help new contributors get started with open source.

Repositories on GitHub

Here are some GitHub repos that are great for getting started with open source. They’re well-documented and have active communities ready to welcome new contributors. Check them out and find one that sparks your interest!

Plot in NumPy arrays directly: Imagine generating your plots directly as NumPy arrays with a simple API, allowing you to overlay, mask, and transform them however you like. This GitHub repository turns that idea into reality, and even shows how to integrate it with a neural network for real-world applications!
GoodFirstIssue: Helping beginners find their first open-source contributions with ease.
HacktoberFest 2023: Submit 4 PRs, add projects, blogs, designs, or enhance existing ones—showcase your unique contributions!

Wrap up

As you start your open-source journey, remember that every contribution counts. Whether you’re fixing bugs, adding features, or providing feedback, you’re making a difference. Explore platforms, find projects that excite you, and dive in. Your efforts will boost your skills, enhance your portfolio, and connect you with a thriving community.

Got questions or need help? Just drop me a line—I’m here to help!