Managers and problems

Gareth Dwyer 🇿🇦 — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 14:48:27 +0000

Managers usually have different problems from developers.

Examples of problems faced by managers:

I'm battling to keep track of who is working on what
I'm not sure how we're doing as a team - were we more productive this week or last?
I don't know how long things are going to take
I don't know the status of this particular ticket
I don't have enough information to do fair performance reviews

Examples of problems faced by developers:

I don't have enough time to implement things to our quality standards
There are too many meetings and it breaks my concentration
There is too much mindless admin that doesn't help anyone
There are too many priorities: everything is important and urgent

Because of the power imbalance, managers usually lean on developers to make them solve 'manager problems': do more meetings, more check-ins, more estimates, more updating of tickets.

Instead, managers should be solving their own problems and in addition help solve 'developer problems'. Sometimes by doing exactly the opposite of what they are already doing.

Also see http://www.paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html

15+ practical Python projects with full walk-through tutorials

Gareth Dwyer 🇿🇦 — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 16:28:49 +0000

If you're learning to code, sometimes it can be more fun to work through practical end-to-end projects than to learn the theory.

These 15+ tutorials will be helpful whether you're:

Just starting out and want to get a feel for coding before deciding if it's for them
Going through another Python course but want to do more practical projects alongside the theory
Have finished a course and are stuck in the "What should I build phase"
Are building up your portfolio to apply for jobs

You can go through them all in order, or jump in wherever looks interesting. If you prefer, they're also all available as a free e-book (direct download, no email required) in PDF, epub, or mobi formats.

Note: these posts were commissioned by Repl.it and also show you how to use their online IDE and hosting platform. Everything is entirely free (freedom and beer) though and you are not required to purchase any premium services to go through them. A video version will be released soon.

Part 1: The basics of Repl.it

In this section of the course, you'll learn the basics of Repl.it. But that doesn't mean you won't build some fun stuff along the way.

Lesson 1: Introduction to Repl.it and using the IDE

Learn the basics of the Repl.it IDE. Why use an online IDE and what are all those different panes? Build a simple program to solve your maths homework.

Lesson 2: Working with files using Repl.it

Computers were initially created to read and write files, and although we've come a long way files remain central to everything we do. Learn how to create them, read from them, write to them, and import and export them in bulk.

Lesson 3: Managing dependencies with Repl.it

No one is an island, and if you build software you'll build it on top of existing modules that others have written. Here we show you how to work with other people's code in a variety of ways: in many cases all you need to do is import antigravity and fly away.

Lesson 4: Data science: plotting and graphing

Data is only useful if it can be easily understood. Plots, charts, and graphs are the easiest way to know what's happening in the world around you. And did you know that data science is the sexiest job of the 21st century. Follow along to plot every city in the USA and find out if richer people live longer.

Lesson 5: Pair programming and using multiplayer

Did we mention that no one is an island? Coders don't have to work alone. You can invite your friends to code along with you, a technique used by beginners and experts alike. Learn how to code collaboratively, as if you were using a Google Doc.

Part 2: advanced Repl.it use

Once you know the basics, it's time to build larger and more complicated projects and keep them secure.

Lesson 6: Running projects from GitHub

Most open source software lives on GitHub and it's easy to take advantage of all of this free software by pulling code from GitHub to Repl.it and running it with one click. Some software needs to be configured in specific ways so you'll also learn how to modify what happens when you press that big green "run" button.

Lesson 7: Building a game with PyGame

Do you want to develop games? Of course, you can do that with Repl.it to. We'll build a 2D juggling game using PyGame in this lesson and you'll learn more about graphics programming at the same time: sprites, physics, and more.

Lesson 8: Can you keep a secret? What about from time travellers?

Have you been hacked? It's only a matter of time if you haven't. Learn how to keep your secrets safe, even when coding in public spaces. Pro tip: if you accidentally paste a password into your code and then remove it, others might still find it in your history, so you'll learn how to navigate that too.

Lesson 9: Introduction to TDD using PyTest

By this stage you'll have made a few mistakes. Learn the TDD way and how to write code that tests your other code to catch frustrating errors before they can hurt anyone. Repetitive jobs is what computers are best at after all.

Lesson 10: Become an elite hacker with productivity hacks

Have you seen the Matrix? Learn to be the Neo of coding by getting more than one cursor, using keyboard shortcuts, and all of the other productivity features that Repl.it offers. You'll be soon producing more code in less time.

Part 3: building your own projects

Once you've gone through everything, you might think "but what should I build?". It's a common problem and we've got you covered. Choose your favourite projects from a list (or turn on the coffee machine, order some pizza, and get through them all). Once you've gone through the step-by-step guides you can easily modify or extend the projects to make them your own.

DEV Community: Gareth Dwyer 🇿🇦

Managers and problems

15+ practical Python projects with full walk-through tutorials

Part 1: The basics of Repl.it

Lesson 1: Introduction to Repl.it and using the IDE

Lesson 2: Working with files using Repl.it

Lesson 3: Managing dependencies with Repl.it

Lesson 4: Data science: plotting and graphing

Lesson 5: Pair programming and using multiplayer

Part 2: advanced Repl.it use

Lesson 6: Running projects from GitHub

Lesson 7: Building a game with PyGame

Lesson 8: Can you keep a secret? What about from time travellers?

Lesson 9: Introduction to TDD using PyTest

Lesson 10: Become an elite hacker with productivity hacks

Part 3: building your own projects

Beginner web scraping with Python and Repl.it

Building news word clouds using Python and Repl.it

Building a Discord Bot with Python and Repl.it

Building a Discord bot with Node.js and Repl.it

Creating and hosting a basic web application with Django and Repl.it

Building a CRM app with NodeJS, Repl.it, and MongoDB

Introduction to Machine Learning with Python and repl.it

Quicksort tutorial: Python implementation with line by line explanation