Issue 23

8 May 2019

by Lori M Olson

wndxlori has been really, really busy on the podcast circuit of late and has two new shows in which she is the featured guest.

First, there is her appearance on Greater Than Code. We like the premise of this podcast which is succinctly tag-lined as “the human side of technology”. They invite those “who are not heard from enough in tech: women, people of colour, trans and/or queer folks, to talk about the human side of…software development.” We’re glad to be reminded of the fact this really is an industry where it’s about much more than just the code.

Next, wndxlori once again appears as a guest of Charles Max Wood, this time on his My Ruby Story podcast. In this all new episode, it’s a discussion of the larger arc of wndxlori’s career from early encouragement by a high school guidance counsellor to pursue computer science, right through to the things which occupy her time and attention now both professionally and personally.

Regular #RMW readers will recall from a few weeks ago that wndxlori also appeared on another of Charles’ podcasts, the Ruby Rogues, where she discussed all things RubyMotion with Chuck and fellow panelists Nate Hopkins, Dave Kimura and Andrew Mason.

We encourage you to dig around on the show notes for the new episodes—you’ll find some school discounts buried in there!

#DRGTK: DragonRuby Game Toolkit

We kicked off this new section of #RMW last week and it’s dedicated to covering all the excitement surrounding the DragonRuby Game Toolkit. This time ‘round we have a video which we think you’ll find both valuable and interesting. Ryan C. Gordon provides a “whirlwind introduction to the DragonRuby Game Toolkit”. There couldn’t have been a more apt description as Ryan almost doesn’t take a breath as he goes through a ‘Hello World’ example with #DRGTK. This includes—believe it or not—deployment on MacOS, Linux and Windows platforms and all of it in just under five minutes. It’s a testament to both the #DRGTK’s remarkable capabilities and Ryan’s speed talking skills. Check out Intro to DragonRuby Game Toolkit on YouTube.

#MSH: Motioneers Slack Highlights

Ever think what this world needs is a free Android emulator which runs well on macOS, Windows and Linux? You’re in luck because just this week on the Motioneers Slack team, Noah Prescott posted that question to which Dave Trollope responded with a link to GenyMotion’s Android Emulator Personal Edition. The best part is that is it FREE for personal use. Here’s where you can find the Motioneers thread or for those who are severely time challenged, here’s where you can find the emulator download page.

You are a member of the Motioneers Slack team, right? If not, that’s a situation you want to put right as soon as you can.

#GOTW: Gem of the Week

Andy Stechishin of beautiful Edmonton, Alberta, Canada gets the nod this week for #GOTW with his motion-ios-devices. It’s a RubyMotion gem intended to simplify building and running iOS applications on specific versions of the iOS simulator. The GitHub page comes complete with a robust README which provides all the details needed to get this up and running in a snap. Thanks for this, Andy, it looks great.

Think your contribution to modern software development has been grievously overlooked by #GOTW? Well, first, we apologize for this gross oversight and to make amends please LET US KNOW and we’ll be happy to feature it in an upcoming edition of #RMW. Your #GOTW greatness awaits.

#COMM: Community

From the wide and varied RubyMotion #COMM this week, we have a great tweet thread from Steve Troughton-Smith on Ways to prepare now for iOS 13 & macOS 10.15. We like Twitter for this kind of thing as it forces focus on the core of what you need to know. Thanks, Steve, for this very helpful and timely information.

Also, a reminder this is the second Wednesday of the month and therefore it’s once again time for the RubyMotion Meetup. Check out the Motioneers Slack team for details about this month’s meetup.

#AHOTW: App Highlight of the Week

This week we’re featuring RubyMate - Silver from Gustave.Tokyo. Here’s the March 31st, 2019 tweet which announced its release in more than 150 countries. It could conceivably be the best way to master Ruby at a price which simply can’t be beat.

#TWIL: This Week I Learned

From Mattt of NSHipster fame we have a brilliant post on Guided Access. No, we hadn’t heard of it either and that’s because it’s mysteriously buried at the bottom of the General > Accessibility settings menu. Once enabled, however, it limits your iOS device to a single app and further determines which features are available. Holy dedicated device, Batman. Mattt guides us through its use, how it’s functionality can be incorporated into your app and why that’s important to you. You can find Mattt’s post on NSHipster and it’s well worth a read. You’re (almost) guaranteed to learn something new.

That’s a Wrap

Another week come and gone—can you believe it? If it’s unthinkable you might miss a future issue of #RMW, then please think about subscribing. It’s simply the right thing to do. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn and we really hope you to see you on those platforms.

Until then…may all your accesses be guided.

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