[17th November 2024] Interesting Things I Learnt This Week

 1. Booleans are a trap : Booleans, while seemingly simple, can introduce complexity and limitations into domain modeling. When used to represent complex states, booleans can lead to unclear code and potential errors. To avoid these pitfalls, consider using enums or enum sets. These approaches provide a more expressive and maintainable way to model complex states in your applications.

My Take: I wish I had learned this earlier in life. When working with Google Docs, I realized the limitations of booleans. Expanding boolean-based behaviors often led to adding more fields, making the system complex. Enums would have provided a simpler solution. The problem wasn't just the booleans themselves, but also the need to pass them through multiple layers of the stack, often requiring additional parameters. Another important aspect of enums is the inclusion of an "enum not specified" state. This state explicitly indicates that an enum value hasn't been set, which can be useful in various scenarios. But I guess one that it categorically specifies that the enum not been set, should be good enough to follow this convention IMHO. 

 

2. Penpot : Penpot is a free and open-source design and prototyping tool that simplifies the collaboration between designers and developers. It allows designers to create stunning user interfaces, interactive prototypes, and design systems, while developers can directly export the designs as clean, usable code (CSS, SVG, and HTML). This eliminates the need for time-consuming handoffs and ensures a seamless transition from design to development. By fostering real-time collaboration and promoting open standards, Penpot streamlines the entire design process, making it an invaluable tool for teams of all sizes.

My Take: Figma currently dominates the design tool market, with few viable alternatives. Penpot is a promising competitor that focuses on core wireframing and design features, without relying on AI or generative AI. I installed it as a Docker instance and found it to be an amazing tool which gets the work done. I followed a few simple steps mentioned in their docs to install it.

3. The Strategy Questions : Seth Godin shares a few of the over 500 questions from his latest book 'This is Strategy'. 

My Take: Seth Godin's work deserves a dedicated spot on my blog, as it often sparks an interesting thought process. Asking questions is a powerful tool for clarifying thinking and defining strategies. My cofounder and I frequently use this approach to refine our startup plans. I'm looking to use this framework of questioning into our strategic planning process.

4. https://isp.netscape.com/ - A 90s website from a company from 90s showing you all the news with less distractions powered by AOL which is also owned by Yahoo!!!. Also has a free download of browser called Netscape which is fork of, you guessed it right, Chromium. I would not recommend anyone to download it

My Take: A recent Mastodon post by @mjdxp@labyrinth.zone unearthed a fascinating fact: a long-established website still exists! But the real shocker came with the ownership details. Who would've guessed that Netscape, AOL, and Yahoo are all ultimately under the umbrella of Verizon? It's mind-blowing that the new internet's powerhouses are now owned by a legacy player – a descendant of the Bell System's Baby Bells!