Sharpen the Saw is a somewhat delayed repost of a mostly weekly newsletter of information for the professional development of software developers. While targeted primarily at developers working with the Microsoft technology stack, content will cover a wider range of topics and may be of interest to people who work with developers.
To subscribe, send me an email and I’ll put you on the list. Membership is moderated.
Saturday, December 07 2019
sharpen-the-saw
In today’s post: Why the repository pattern needs to be abandoned; a tool for troubleshooting assembly load issues; giving effective instructions; making your email hacker-proof; the tiny details are important; and, the computers of the Voyager space program.
Saturday, November 02 2019
sharpen-the-saw
In todays post: Enforcing the Liskov Substitution Principle, C# language versioning, reminders for better meetings, making money from 2FA, the Curta mechanical keyboard, and Crypto 101.
Saturday, October 05 2019
sharpen-the-saw
In todays post: Jon Skeet lies to his compiler; the Visual Studio Code team talks about strict null checking and why they turned it on; more information about nullability in C# 8; the 10 commandments of code reviewing; blocking the worst passwords with HIBP; new Surface hardware for Christmas 2020; and Mariana Atencio talks about what makes you special.
Saturday, September 07 2019
sharpen-the-saw
In todays post: Value objects for self documenting code; default implementations in C# 8; how to jump start any meeting with a question; lessons for securing an important persons account that you should use yourself; a Braille font; and, understanding procrastination.
Sunday, August 04 2019
sharpen-the-saw
In todays post: Checking for nulls in C#; performance improvements in .NET 3.0; proving stereotypes aren’t true when working remote; blocking the worst passwords; and understanding ValueTask.
Saturday, July 06 2019
sharpen-the-saw
In today’s post: C# 7.3 introduces new generic constraints; Visual Studio 2019 v16.1 has been released; The true cost of multitasking isn’t what you think; An oral history of the hamburger icon; and, sometimes Select() really is broken.
Saturday, June 01 2019
sharpen-the-saw
In today’s post: Jon Skeet’s first steps with nullable types; Markdeep for publishing markdown online; Jerry Sienfield’s closed office door; Misinformation is a people problem; Reignite your motivation with a passion project; and, Who destroyed Three Mile Island?
Monday, June 04 2018
sharpen-the-saw
In this issue from October 2017: Explaining tuples in C# 7; .NET 4.7.1 can now consume packages targeting .NET Standard 2.0; Hanselman finds he’s smarter when working with someone else; Pwned passwords available for download; Stackoverflow reports on software developer ecosystems; and Richard Campbell presents the history of .NET.
Monday, May 21 2018
sharpen-the-saw
In this issue from October 2017: the ideal length of a function is easier to decide than you think; the next major version of C# is bringing some long overdue changes; six approaches to programming that will change the way you think; recovering access to a PC when it has fallen off the domain and you don’t know the admin password; ten of the worst features of C#, as selected by Eric Lippert; and the Myth of the Genius Programmer.
Monday, April 30 2018
sharpen-the-saw
In this issue from October 2017: Great code produces beautiful errors; expression bodied members get more powerful in C# 7; why some like to measure lines of code even though it’s a poor metric; password guidance for the modern era; thinking about where your time goes on social media; and Larry Wall opines on programming languages you should know.