Ack 2.0: Written in Perl, Useful With Ruby

Ack is an open source command line tool that lets developers search large trees of source code very quickly. If you are looking for a method definition in a haystack of files, Ack will find that needle for you. Many devs regard Ack as a replacement for grep.

The Elmhurst ChicagoRuby meetings are always a source of unexpected learning. Today ChicagoRuby welcomed Andy Lester, creator of Ack. Andy released Ack 2.0 two days ago. He shared some of the latest features in an impromptu demo.

New RVM Behavior With .ruby-version and .ruby-gemset

I trust RVM to manage my Ruby versions and my gemsets. So when I saw an unexpected change in RVM’s behavior, I was concerned about a possible disruption in my workflow.

Elegant Code

This quote is too long to tweet, but too good to pass up:

Ugly programs are like ugly suspension bridges: they’re much more liable to collapse than pretty ones, because the way humans (especially engineer-humans) perceive beauty is intimately related to our ability to process and understand complexity. A language that makes it hard to write elegant code makes it hard to write good code.

~Eric S. Raymond, Author of The Cathedral and the Bazaar

Challenges Make Us Stronger

A man found a cocoon of an emperor moth. He took it home so that he could watch the moth come out of the cocoon. On the day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the moth for several hours as the moth struggled to force its body through that little hole.

Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. It just seemed to be stuck.

How to Take a Raspberry Pi Screenshot

After you get a Raspberry Pi up and running, you may want to take a few screenshots so you can share the experience with others. Here’s how.