SEREN SKYE BLOG

Static methods have their place, and can be useful. The two valid reasons that come to mind are: Some utility methods that do not modify global state, given an input will always produce the same output An alternative to overloading constructors suggested by Joshua Bloch in Effective Java – In this way it is a [...]

Build tools are used to both automate and standardise tasks that are repetitive and follow a given recipe. Typically we would use a build tool to compile our code, run tests, create documentation, package and deploy. Using a build tool can have the following benefits: Improves code quality and reduces human error - through testing and continuous integration Enforces standardisation – [...]

In the last post we discussed the importance of immutable objects in a code base and took a critical look at some common techniques for creating immutable objects.  In this post we’ll be looking at some design patterns/ idioms that try to get around those problems whilst still maintaining immutability.  I highly suggest reading the [...]

State management is something that all developers must tackle, from building complex multi-player games to RIA’s to micro games.  State is constantly changing and the way we deal with that could determine the success or failure of a project and certainly the amount of firefighting (bug fixing) to get the project into a releasable state. Immutability is a tool for [...]

I thought I’d start the blog off with a question often posed by my friends and on occasions myself: why blog? 7 reasons: Creativity Its widely believed that writing regularly increases creativity: rather than taking part in an activity to pass the time, you are actively engaging in a project using your mind to solve problems. Blogging [...]