View on an Insider as CEO for Microsoft
Today, Microsoft announced Satya Nadella as its new CEO, a 22-year veteran of the business and a true Insider. I wish him the best of luck and success. But is choosing an Insider as CEO good for a mature Microsoft or bad? I think its a bad call based on documented history of other mature companies and my own selfish (and very positive) wishes for the firm. And then there’s this, which makes no Outsider sense and means nothing to anyone, from his first letter to employees:
First they came for...
A Modern Version First they came for the record storesand I didn’t speak outbecause I used iTunes online. Then they came for the bookstoresand I didn’t speak outbecause I used Kindle online. Then they came for the technology storesand I didn’t speak outbecause I used Amazon online. Then they came for the grocery storesand I didn’t speak outbecause I used FreshDirect online. Then they came for the restaurantsand I didn’t speak outbecause I used SeamlessWeb online.
More TextMate 2 Basics
Previously, I wrote about the TextMate 2 Basics that I use all the time, and I recommend you read that post first. This post follows up with a mish-mash of more tools, ideas and tricks that I also use surprisingly frequently. Text Tools TextMate 2 tries to reduce the number of keystrokes you need to make to generate good code. There are many ways it does this but today I want to talk about auto-pairs and completions.
Reminder: Update your Tools
At the start of every new year, I spend a the time to update all my tools and recompile all my products with them. At the cost of a few hours (or at worst, days) work, I get rid of most the maintenance hassles I faced before I used to do this and gain the benefits of all the new features and performance from updated tools. I understand that, for all of us, updating our tools is surprisingly hard.
Python: It's a Trap
TL;DR: Python is the best language for quantitative scripting (because of its libraries). But it’s a trap. Almost all programmers and libraries require Python 2 when Python 3 is out and way better. Choosing to use an old language for new project traps us into supporting old languages, libraries and platforms. And that’s not smart. The intent of this post is to point out this odd stagnation and encourage the migration and adoption of Python 3, or, as it has happened in the past, we’ll have to look elsewhere for a solution.
Can't innovate anymore, my ass
Over the past few days I have seen so many references to the Quartz post 2013 was a lost year for tech that it has become a meme. “Innovation is dead”, “2013 proves it”, “RIP Innovation”, it screams. Rubbish! 2013 was a great year for innovation in the tech space. in·no·vate /ˈinəˌvāt/ verb make changes in something established, esp. by introducing new methods, ideas, or products. Remember, innovation is not about creating something completely new (that’s invention), it is about making changes to established products that significantly improve their abilities or experience.
Writers: Thank You
I want to say thank you to a bunch of writers, to people who do what they do because they love to do it, from an anonymous one that reads and appreciates what they do every day. They may never see this, but, in no particular order, a huge thank you from me to you all. Tech and Opinions Matt Gemmell at Matt Gemmell is owed free drinks at my house forever.
Cannot find File
“Can you please send me that file again? I cannot find it” “I’ll have to get back to you, I don’t know where I saved the file I need.” I hear this every day. Even now, in 2013, more than 20 years after hierarchical file systems became the core and the norm of computing, users still struggle to understand something as simple as knowing the location of their own files in their own computer systems.
Managing Multiple Project's Assembly Notes in One
The problem I have is that I regularly need to open a specific set of Markdown documents scattered all over my file system while I work and have them available at my fingertips. But I need a different set open when working at home and available the same way. The best solution I have found is to use BBEdit projects to manage these document sets. Here’s why and how to do it.
The day he walked to freedom
I remember it as a clear day. Sunny, not hot, not windy, just crystal clear blue skies. The rumor mill had it that he would be released on that day. It had been building up for a while. But no-one knew for sure. I was on campus at the University of Cape Town when it happened. Word spread quickly. He’s out. Really out. They actually let him go. We had no internet or video phones back then, just word.