Developing Upwards

This was originally posted on my new website , where you can read the full post. Please subscribe to the new feed there to follow new things I write. Private software is software one writes only for themselves and never shares or intends to share. It isn't commercial, because it isn't sold or even distributed at all. It isn't open source, but it shares something in spirit. I write about this in favor, though like all things, on a case by caes basis. I'm coming to really enjoy the idea of private software. Private software made by a person to solve a personal need and none other. It is, at its surface, very contrary to what you might expect Open Source to be about, but in a way I believe it to be a great shining example of the ideals open source comes from. read more at www.ironfroggy.com/on-private-software

This originally posted to my new site and has been reposted for anyone following my old feeds. Please subscribe to my new website . I've released version 0.2 of Jules today, which is actually the first packaged version released. There are no users other than me, so no care was taken in backwards compatibility and this is less announcing a new verison and more an announcement of the project as a whole. Jules is a static blog generator named after a victorian-ish era literary or intellectual character, because that's a trendy thing to do. (Jekyl, Hyde, Nikola, etc.) The design is flexible and plugin-oriented. Much of the built-in functionality is available through a set of plugins, which creates an architecture very prone to adaptation and customization. One of the major goals (though not yet reached) is template impartiality. Today, Jules is a very capable little static website generator you may find useful for your personal, project, or organization site. You ca...

This was originally posted at my new website . Please read it there, and follow my new feed to follow what I write about in the future! I looked forward to it, I planned on it, and I was prepared for it. My outlines were ready, my story was waiting. So, why am I not doing NaNoWriMo this year? Please subscribe to my new feed when you visit the new site!

I ran a conference. I said it had to be done, apparently I said I'd even be the one to do it. Before I knew it, I was doing it and now its over. All the way up to the date of our inaugural year I was feeling unprepared, afraid I was forgetting terribly important things, or simply that the event would be uneventful. I could not have been more unprepared for the sheer success of PyCarolinas, from the presentations everyone was able to enjoy to the success of the food and drinks we provided to keep them all going to the amazing sense of community and connectedness everyone at the conference obviously felt. How Did I Get Myself Into This This was not only the first conference I ran, but the first involvement in running an event beyond a dozen-person hacknight for  TriZPUG , so "out of my comfort zone" accurately describes how I felt during the months leading up to October 20th and 21st. I had mentioned a few times, in a few places, that the carolinas (and t...

Cross-posted from the PyCarolinas blog Have you been looking forward to grabbing your spot for PyCarolinas 2012? That time is today, as we’re ready to accept registrations for the inaugural event on October 20th and 21st. Spots our limited, due to our generously donated space, to 150 attendees including staff, speakers, and sponsor slots. Don’t hesitate to registration, you might loose your spot. We expect nothing short of a great turn out, our  schedule is fantastic , our  keynotes are prime , and our sponsors are nothing short of  enormously generous . Come out and enjoy the wonderful fall weather in Chapel Hill, NC and what is sure to be the first year of a great tradition! Register today !

This piece was posted to my new website . Python is Great I've been in love with the language for a decade. I feel a connection to the community that has only grown over time, both in numbers and in awesomeness. However, I see difficult times ahead. Not where Python is or where it is going, but places it will always have trouble entering growing in importance. I think we have, as a community, really downplayed the significance of some of our beloved languages shortcomings. I'm concerned about growing areas in software, which are hostile to Python. This is a coincidental, but important direction a lot of focus in software is moving in. Read the full post at my new site and please subscribe to the new feed there.

Originally posted to my new website, where all of this content will eventually go. Just a thought. We have so many tools for, essentially, ranking content. We vote on Reddit, like on facebook, plus one on Google. We pretend this stuff is (relatively) new, but aren't they all just non-passive hit counters? Maybe a return to the beginnings would be nice. But, simply loading a page isn't enough. My proposal: the Read Counter. At the end of a page, the Read Counter would trigger simply by scrolling into view. It would be a rough measurement of traffic, and as a simple bonus would avoid counting people who opened the page but don't seem to have actually read the content. Simple, but useful. Passive, but meaningful.