Every Monday we round up some of the last week's top posts, comments, and tweets. If you have any feedback, please leave a comment. â¤ï¸
I Ain't Got No Type
Dan Lebrero wrote last week's most popular post, in which he compared the bug density of statically typed languages (both old, like Java, and new, like Haskell) with that of dynamically typed languages:
The article motivated a spirited discussion in the comments section, with many dev.to users weighing in on the pros and cons of static typing:
I may be missing something, but I always thought that the value of static languages was in API and framework discoverability (aka strong autocomplete), not in avoiding bugs. When a variable type is known by the compiler, it can more easily figure out what you can do with it and avoid trips to the documentation. This is why I like static type system that doesn't get in the way (more C#, less Java).
Also, community plays a part. The languages with higher bug densities with some exceptions seem to attract more beginner programmers.
Known Unknowns
Javascript is a deep, ever-evolving language, which led to Antonio Villagra De La Cruz failing his technical interview despite thinking he had Javascript covered. He reviews some ways to keep improving your JS skills:
One reader offered the popular tip of simply writing a program in the language for the fun of it as a means to get better at coding:
For practice, my suggestion would be to write something that you personally find cool/interesting. Doesn't have to be for anyone else, hell doesn't need to be for the web even.
The project where I've learned the most about JavaScript is on a chat based automation system I've written (and re-written). Build something weird and interesting that will get you enthused about what you're doing.
Taking the Bait
Our community's resident security expert, Antoinette Maria, came across something on Facebook that surely most of us have seen before: a bogus offering! She wanted to understand the mechanics behind this particular scam though, so she clicked through and walks us through the details:
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How to Get Started
No matter how experienced of a programmer you are, at one point you were a novice just starting out, a position that Adnan Rahić appreciates. He reviews some of the best strategies for fledgling coders:
Taking Kotlin for a Spin
"Kotlin is getting more and more relevant," writes dev.to user Lovis--indeed just a few weeks ago Google announced at their annual I/O conference that Android would now support the language.
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As such, Lovis decided to try out some famous design patterns in the language:
Heavyweight Fight
Google and Amazon, arguably the two most important and influential companies in the entire world, both offer popular cloud services. Bugfender, a company that blogs on dev.to, recently switched from one to the other, and compares the two in terms of price and performance:
Just Do It
"Being a good developer is not only about following rules, it’s also about knowing when to ignore them," writes Lovely Developer. He breaks down a few scenarios when it's best to spurn rules of thumb in favor of a more straightforward approach.
That's it for our weekly wrapup! Keep an eye on Dev.to this week for daily content and discussions...and if you miss anything, we'll be sure to recap it next Monday!
Top comments (2)
Haskell isn't a new language, the first version came out in 1990.
whoever puts these together has a great sense of humor