I have boring opinions about tech

I have boring ideas about tech.

Or, not really, but somewhat.

Let’s talk about JavaScript. I don’t admire it, I just use it. When I need to make a request to the server in a web page, then I just write out plain old JavaScript without any libraries to make an XMLHttpRequest. It’s not that pretty, but most of the time it works pretty flawlessly.

I know what to do. I create it, I .open it, I know how to send query parameters (the new URL object is pretty neat, but pasting the query string together also works for me), I know how to send POST requests (FormData is your friend).

Similarly, when I need a web service, I’ll write some Go. Usually without any libraries. In fact, one of the things I like about it is that i don’t have to. The standard library is fine (I’d say excellent), and it works pretty well for these things.

And again, I know my way around. I know the interfaces, I know how to lock something with a Mutex should I need to, and so on. It’s almost boring, except that it’s not.

The list goes on. I don’t hate PHP, I like plain old Ruby, I appreciate ObjectiveC a bit, I can write Python, I’ll even dive into C if I have to, or sometimes if I just feel like it.

And still, I have also written non-trivial amounts of code in Haskell, Rust, some Erlang, and plenty of Clojure. I also like those languages, but I’m not religious about them. Sometimes I want them, but often I am fine with this tooling I have around.

I just like plain old boring technology. In fact, I find it exciting, and interesting that these kinds of boring things lead to interesting results. There’s something there, I think.

So what’s my point here, then?

My point is that I don’t like fighting over technology. Highly opinionated pieces about how language X or library Y are the best thing ever, or worse, how Z is the worst thing ever – these kinds of articles aren’t really interesting to me. Sometimes I’ll read them, but I prefer reading different things.

I love hearing about language X helped solve a specific problem. Or how library Y helped the author develop a solution much faster. I like hearing about techniques and trade-offs.

So maybe that’s what I’ll write about next. Maybe I’ll write about Go and how its standard library helps me with all kinds of things. Or how I write these small (or sometimes rather big) pieces of JavaScript that enhance simple web pages. Or I’ll finally write Saved by the Shell.

Or not. After all, I have boring opinions about tech.

(Aside: I think what I’ve written here is already too opinionated. But alas, it was fun to write, and it does express a bit how I feel. So here we go.)