Issue 52

22 January 2020

by Lori M Olson

#OPED ‐ Our Unvarnished Opinion

Wow. Just wow. Creating an app like this (stabilizing time-lapse videos) is a time consuming operation. And I have to think that lots of people would be interested in such an app. So…why would you fail SO HARD on naming the damn thing? Naming things is hard, I get it. But you should really avoid associating your app with an uncomfortable and generally unmentionable medical condition. Just sayin’. If you think I’m kidding try googling prolapse.

It’s the first hit for God’s sake.

Not one to simply toss a hand grenade over my shoulder, a pro tip when choosing a name: google it. Seriously, I have to tell you that? In any case, that’s the way the vast majority of prospective customers are going to find you so you might as well see what they’re going to see before they see it. Another super duper pro tip if you really want to do your homework: TESS from the surprisingly good USPTO website, which will allow you to search the US trademark database for free.

Now, that was worth the price of admission alone, wasn’t it? Thanks, Amy @ PAX Bed, for bringing this to my attention. And now, on with the rest of the show! ‐ WNDXLori

#FITS ‐ Featured in the School

In the previous issue of #DRD, we inadvertently kicked off a whole big foofaraw about EOL with an off hand comment in the #DRSH section. In the end it’s really about how we, as developers, tend to respond to those warning messages we get when trying to wrap up a big release. WNDXLori took that as an indication that the last word has not yet been written on these matters and it therefore became the subject of her latest blog post: Don’t Let Build Warnings Ruin Your Day. We’ll also be tweeting out the highlights over the next couple of weeks so follow us on Twitter, too.

#ANDROID ‐ Nothin’ but…

Living up to last year’s promise of more coverage for #ANDROID aficionados, we have not one but two items items for you in this issue of #DRD:

First, courtesy of an answer posted on Stack Overflow by Mark Murphy of CommonsWare (and author of several excellent books on Android) we’re digging into the dependencies in your Android project. It answers the eternal question…from whence did that come?

Also, Jacob Eiting points out a really fundamental problem with Google Play’s new billing client and its associated requirement to acknowledge in-app purchases. His tweet includes the link to the all-important Google Play Billing Library release notes. Heed Jacob’s tweet or run the risk of losing a bunch of hard-earned money.

#GOTW ‐ Gem of the Week

We also have a couple of items for #GOTW this week:

While the documentation leaves a little to be desired, we just love how motion-listable illustrates testing for a RubyMotion gem. Thanks to Mark Villacampa for this.

Also, while not actually a RubyGem it’s still a gem nonetheless. The Noun Project—“creating, sharing and celebrating the world’s visual language”—has come up with a long overdue icon set simply called Redefining Women. It’s produced by Iconathon and, candidly, it’s about time.

#COMM ‐ Community

In #DRD051 we previously reported that UIWebView was “officially on death row” and that we’re now all supposed to use WKWebView. Bu..bu..but…it’s broken? Simon B. Støvring provides a succinct synopsis of the SNAFU.

#AHTW ‐ App Highlight This Week

Although not a RubyMotion app, it’s a great example of an app that could be and should be. Also, it points out that maybe the world doesn’t need yet another food delivery app, and that inspiration can come from some unexpected places. Take a look at Grapefruit Journal from Peter Skinner when you can.

#DRGTK ‐ DragonRuby Game Toolkit

Oh, we have to have one of these.

Not only do we absolutely love the mid-80s handheld game vibe and the use of primary colours, the hand crank (yes, the hand crank) is a true joy to be behold. We just can’t wait to yell out from behind a locked door “I’ll be out in a sec, honey, I’m just winding up my video game.” Check out Play Date from Panic.

Do it now before every kid on the block has one and they’re not cool anymore.

#DRSH ‐ Dragon Riders’ Slack Highlights

A long thread in which the usefulness of different forms of debugging is debated. At 91 replies (and counting?) it runs a serious risk of tipping over into TLDR territory, but we strongly encourage you to read through to the end. Amir’s take is somewhat controversial, but completely understandable (that is, if you read right through to the end.)

And may we add how refreshing it is to see that it is possible to disagree without being disagreeable. It’s truly a lesson for our times.

#HAHA ‐ And They All Laughed…

Some levity from Kevin Savetz from the streets of beautiful Portland, Oregon…

That’s a Wrap!

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Until next time, don’t ignore those flashing red lights on the dash. And fix all your broken windows promptly.

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