What is a build.gradle file?
An brief explanation of Gradle and build.gradle files for JavaScript developers
Hey, I'm Sean McP!
My name is Sean McPherson, and I’m a software engineer interested in all areas of front-end development: from HTML and CSS and JavaScript frameworks to mobile apps and developer tools.
Currently I work at Niche.com in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania building web and mobile applications in React and React Native. On the side, I like to work on little projects that help make people’s lives easier like Toollama.com.
Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family (wife, two sons, and dog), playing and watching soccer, re-playing my favorite board games, and trying not to embarrass Jesus Christ.
Recent Articles #
Three new games on Toollama
Turtle Guide, Paint Pig, and Spotlight all help children build computer literacy
React Native Glossary
A growing list of terms you need to recognize when working in React Native
What happened to @react-native-community packages?
Why you won't be installing any community packages on your next React Native project
Find an iOS simulator identifier
How to find a simulator ID using the Xcode UI or terminal
Latest note #
20 Things I’ve Learned in my 20 Years as a Software Engineer by Justin Etheredge of Simple Thread made it to the top of Hacker News, and there were some interesting insights from the article.
There is no “right” architecture, you’ll never pay down all of your technical debt, you’ll never design the perfect interface, your tests will always be too slow. This isn’t an excuse to never make things better, but instead a way to give you perspective. Worry less about elegance and perfection; instead strive for continuous improvement and creating a livable system that your team enjoys working in and sustainably delivers value.
[Watch out for the 0.1x programmer] who wastes time, doesn’t ask for feedback, doesn’t test their code, doesn’t consider edge cases, etc… We should be far more concerned with keeping 0.1x programmers off our teams than finding the mythical 10x programmer.
If you are using your tools, and you don’t love or hate them in a myriad of ways, you need to experience more. You need to explore other languages, libraries, and paradigms. There are few ways of leveling up your skills faster than actively seeking out how others accomplish tasks with different tools and techniques than you do.
Good written communication is one of the most important skills for any software engineer to master.
The article is worth the read (warning: a few vulgarities).