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Marko Anastasov
Marko Anastasov

Posted on

What makes a great development environment?

  • It's fast! (top-notch hardware & internet connection)
  • Simple to set up (one-step checkout + provision)
  • Can run any test
  • Can deploy to staging at a push of a button

What else? πŸ€”

Top comments (19)

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fraybabak profile image
fraybabak

1.short cut keys in text editor for: appending lines , selecting multiple common names . search in file, ...

2.create custom snipet codes for your design patterns

3 . write tests. if you are a web developer i would sujest use automation browser agents like selenuim

  1. try to make your own automation tools for your development labs

  2. use terminals that can overlay front of the screen and has transparrent true(terminator, guake).and devide screen for multiple terminal at one screen (tmux).

  3. if you are zsh fan . use ohmyzsh for custom intraction

  4. make aliases in linux

8.learn bash script . learning bash script can help you to do painful terminal mixed commands at once(again automation)

  1. learn git commands with options.use proper git flow for branching your project
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mikenikles profile image
Mike

I recently wrote a blog post about that.

tl;dr: Consistency, web-based, and tracking environment changes in source control.

mikenikles.com/blog/my-cloud-based...

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leob profile image
leob • Edited

I've read it, that's extremely interesting! That's really the first time I've read a serious account of a developer who has completely switched to a 100% could native dev env, I wouldn't even have thought it would be possible already at this moment.

(I think it makes a big difference that you're using a Chromebook, not because it would otherwise not be possible but because with a Chromebook you're already in a "cloud native" mindset)

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mikenikles profile image
Mike

Thanks for the feedback. You are right, as a Chromebook user I already had my mindset in the cloud and the development environment was the last piece I still ran "offline".

A related article I wrote for InfoQ, with more details on how to get started, is at infoq.com/articles/cloud-based-dev... in case you want to dive a bit deeper into the "how?".

Also worth noting is GitHub Codespaces at github.com/features/codespaces/. It's a similar approach, but based on VS Code rather than the open-source Theia editor used by Gitpod.

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leob profile image
leob

Wow! So even Github is joining this movement. What probably makes this a lot easier is that VS Code is in fact already to a large extent a web app (based on node.js and Electron), so they would "just" need to remove the Electron wrapper and turn it into a PWA or webapp and there you go.

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mikenikles profile image
Mike

It was apparently in their minds from the get go according to mobile.twitter.com/davidfowl/statu...

Gitpod on the other hand is a lot more open and also supports GitLab and soon Bitbucket. It'll be interesting to see this space evolve over time.

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leob profile image
leob

Absolutely, this could be "the next big thing" ...

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sarafian profile image
Alex Sarafian

A culture of understanding. No irrelevant managers and business that understands that it is not a necessary evil but a foundation for business success and vice versa

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thorstenhirsch profile image
Thorsten Hirsch
  • has a package manager for easy installation/upgrades of your tools
  • supports multiple versions of your tools (e.g. nodejs)
  • is scriptable (-> provides CLI tools and APIs)
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henriqueof profile image
Carlos Henrique

A good monitor and ergonomic setup overall.

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nikoheikkila profile image
Niko HeikkilΓ€

Self-serviceable. You install it, you run it, you deploy it. Free of human dependencies.

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markoa profile image
Marko Anastasov

Ownership is important!

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trollboy_j profile image
Jacko

Mostly focus on yourself first, in my opinion πŸ€·πŸ»β€β™‚οΈ

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markoa profile image
Marko Anastasov

What do you mean?

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trollboy_j profile image
Jacko

I mean like focusing on your mental health, like don't get too caught up in coding that you separate yourself from reality.

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markoa profile image
Marko Anastasov

Totally agree!

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bignotto profile image
Thiago Bignotto

A bunch of screens!

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markoa profile image
Marko Anastasov

How many do you have? :)