I'm drafting a prompt for Claude Code and need to convey the desired simplicity of the final app. It will be used for managing our building expenses. I want to avoid expressions like "Some users are so incapable, they can't even operate an elevator."

What am I losing if I block anything coming from substack?

I've worked with numerous editors across various web apps for years, but nothing compares to GitHub's simplicity when editing issues. It's hard to pinpoint exactly why, but I think it's because it doesn't interfere or make decisions for you.

I manage expenses for an apartment complex, creating bills for owners to settle every few months. Developed a Rust app to handle billing and generate PDFs. However...

That's a command-line interface (CLI) app that I exclusively have access to. The expenses aren't recorded in a database. Each bill is essentially a release on GitHub, with all the expenses hardcoded. They are versioned, allowing me to review past records. But...

I want this to be the typical web app backed by a database, so that the apartment owners can even log in eventually and check their history and whatnot. I want to start building this using @elixirlang and @elixirphoenix. I wonder...

Should I stick to vanilla Phoenix or should I try @AshFramework? I will also probably stream and/or vlog so that others can be inspired but also maybe learn as I learn. Maybe I should build it using vanilla Phoenix first and then build it again using Ash and compare? So...

If you're keen to stay updated, consider subscribing to https://petros.blog. This blog covers a variety of topics but you can primarily focus on the Programming category if you seek specific content without extra noise.

Rewriting a CLI Rust app as an Elixir web app

Is it possible to establish business relationships with clients that do not care about estimates and deadlines? They would only care about results, shipping often, frequent communication, course correction, quality work, and pay as you go.

Back in 2009, I didn't have a portfolio or experience to show. My main strategy for building it was offering free service. I volunteered in Ruby on Rails projects, translated @basecamp to Greek (back when they offered a multi-language option), and then landed my job @github.

Offering services for free can be valuable. It allows you to gain experience, set your own terms for work, explore dateless delivery, build trust that can lead to more opportunities, and even land your next full-time job if desired.

As a new developer, the journey towards securing a full-time job can be quite challenging. Employers often ask for experience, prior work examples, and more. But how can you have all of that fresh out of university, a bootcamp, or from being self-taught?

One effective strategy is to volunteer and build your prior work portfolio.

Volunteering can be a powerful tool for individuals seeking to enhance their professional portfolios and increase their chances of success. Engaging in meaningful volunteer work allows you the opportunity to showcase practical abilities while tackling real-world challenges.

Throughout my career, I've returned to that strategy several times, and it has never let me down. Remember, although it may appear free, it's not entirely free—and that works in your favor. 😃

Building a Portfolio Through Free Services

By now, you may have realized I am learning Rust. Why? I can talk more about it next week. Rust is famous for being fast and safe (among other things). A combination once thought to be difficult. The price one pays for the "safety", though? #rust #programming

The price is that the compiler may drive newbies like me a bit crazy. The infamous difficulty new folks have understanding borrowing, ownership and lifetimes. And yes, I had one more encounter of this earlier today. I wanted to use a HashMap as the type of a struct field.

The HashMap key was just a kind of a constant in my case, so I went with &str. Rust was like, hey the whole universe needs a lifetime label now mate. I was like, ok let me try that. After fighting with the compiler and reading the docs for 20 minutes, I gave up. What did I do?

I wish I could have something like Ruby symbols or Elixir atoms. But, I don't think Rust has anything like that. So I thought I could use enum. And, I did. And the lifetime definition requirement went away. How does that look?

I had to derive a few traits, but that's okay. And it's only one place in the code. So, now enum is my favorite anti &str approach 😅. That's until an expert scolds me for not using an ever better or appropriate approach, haha.

I will start talking about my new adventure soon on https://petros.blog. You can subscribe using your email address or just use the RSS feed. #rust #programming #adventure #journal #journey

You can read the unrolled version of this thread here: https://typefully.com/amiridis/RR2wN46

Fighting the Rust compiler as a newbie

Here's a story about how I am spending my vacation. Oh yes. Vacation is a thing. Sometimes we forget about it. But it's nice when you do it. A 🧵.

Here are a few things I do. Swim, read, sit without a purpose, walk, socialize, learn Elixir, listen to Commodore Amiga music on @Spotify.

Swimming is easy cause I am just by the sea. One of the best in #halkidiki #greece. I only hit the beach after 5pm cause the sun can literally burn you. I am in one of the best places in the world. So grateful.

Reading is not something I do often. And even when I do, it is through Audible. These days I am checking out https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59609056-running-remote

I sit without a purpose. Thoughts come and go. One needs to get bored to be creative again. Getting bored is something kids dread. It's the worst to them. I am happy when I reach that state. I seek getting bored. Getting bored is resting your brain. Giving it a break.

I need to exercise. I do 6km in the morning and 4km in the evening. A total of 10km a day. That gets me well beyond 10K steps that I have as a goal per day. I want to break the routine, but between walking and swimming, there are not many other things I can do where I am

Socializing extends your life. Meet new people. Spend time together. Laugh. Be silly. I am not doing it on purpose, but it seems meeting folks outside of my profession helps. It helps expand your horizons. See different perspectives. Stop talking about work for a change.

I continue #myelixirstatus journey, and learning @elixirlang. I am doing the #exhort @exercism_io. I love Elixir, many many others also do, it seems, as it's 2nd most loved language in 2022: https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2022/#section-most-loved-dreaded-and-wanted-programming-scripting-and-markup-languages

As I am coding, I like to listen to Commodore Amiga music. Really loud. I love it how confused kids' faces are when they see me rocking to something so foreign to their ears. Love it. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4a64urXFVgnaMYdfENcOGw?si=bbfe740613444fa6

You can read the unrolled version of this thread here: https://typefully.com/amiridis/Qf3ahnu