sorting algorithms
The default sort functions in almost every programming language are poorly suited for human consumption. What do I mean by that? Well, consider the difference between sorting filenames in Windows explorer, and sorting those very same filenames via Array.Sort() code: Explorer shell sort Array.Sort() Quite a difference. I
security
Jon Galloway and I got into a heated debate a few weeks ago about the efficacy of anti-virus software. My position is that anti-virus software sucks, and worst of all, it doesn't work anyway. That's what I've been saying all along, and it'
government
Today's lesson comes to you courtesy of your local Department of Transportation: The Utah DOT is spending $6 million on a feasibility study for a bridge across a lake. Meanwhile, the DOT doesn't have enough money to put up traveler information video cameras at dangerous mountain
programming languages
In case you hadn't noticed, it's that time of year again: let the wholesale buying of crap begin! As a technology enthusiast with a bad impulse purchase habit, I get a lot of complaints that I am difficult to buy for. That's sort of
algorithms
In my previous post on shuffling, I glossed over something very important. The very first thing that came to mind for a shuffle algorithm is this: for (int i = 0; i < cards.Length; i++) { int n = rand.Next(cards.Length); Swap(ref cards[i], ref cards[n]); } It'
data structures
One of the most beloved of all data structures in computer science is the hash table [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hash_table]. > A hash table is a data structure that associates keys with values. The primary operation it supports efficiently is a lookup: given a key (e.g.
customer service
In this interview with Werner Vogels, the CTO of Amazon, he outlines how Amazon's developers stay in touch with their users: Remember that most of our developers are in the loop with customers, so they have a rather good understanding about what our customers like, what they do
user experience
Has this ever happened to you? You're merrily typing away in some application, minding your own business, when-- suddenly-- a dialog pops up and steals the focus from you. At best, your flow is interrupted. You'll have to switch back to the window that you were
arrays
Pop quiz, hotshot. How would you write code to shuffle a deck of cards? I was thinking about this after reading Mike's card-shuffling algorithm woes: Here's where the non-CS mind comes into play. My first thought was to generate an unshuffled deck as an array-like structure
user experience
Frets on Fire [http://fretsonfire.sourceforge.net/] is an open source clone of Guitar Hero [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_Hero]. It's a great idea. Think of all the user-created songs we could play! My excitement quickly faded after I downloaded it and tried it out. I&
programming languages
Earlier this week I wrote about The Two Types of Programmers. Based on the huge number of comments, it seemed to strike a nerve. Or two. This surprised me, because it was never meant to be the inflammatory, provocative diatribe that many people interpreted it as. It got so out
browser
Two weeks ago, Apple announced a new version of WebKit, the underlying rendering technology of their Safari web browser. The feature list is impressive: * Enhanced Rich Text Editing * Faster JavaScript and DOM (~ 2x) * Faster Page Loading * SVG support * XPath support * Improved JavaScript XML technology (XSLT, DOMParser, XMLSerializer, and enhanced XMLHttpRequest