10th of July, 2017

Why Type Systems Matter

I've written most of my code in dynamically typed languages such as Python or PHP. But ever since dabbling with Rust, I've developed a passion for static type systems. It began to feel very natural to me; like a totally new way to express myself. More »

18th of May, 2017

Being a Professional Programmer

When I was around 12, I set myself the goal to become a professional programmer. I can tell, because at this time I made the conscious decision to use my right hand to control the mouse — even though I'm left-handed. My reasoning was, that if I ever had to help out a colleague with a computer proble… More »

27th of April, 2017

The Future of Rust

Let me first point out the obvious: yes, the title is a little sensationalist. Also you might be asking why I should be entitled to talk about the future of Rust. After all, I'm neither part of the Rust core team, nor a major contributor to the Rust ecosystem. To that I answer: why not? It's fun to … More »

9th of April, 2017

Launching a URL Shortener in Rust using Rocket

One common systems design task in interviews is to sketch the software architecture of a URL shortener (a bit.ly clone, if you may). Since I was playing around with Rocket – a web framework for Rust – why not give it a try? More »

18th of March, 2017

The Essence of Information

People look confused when I tell them about my passion for algorithms and data-structures. Most of them understand what a Programmer is doing, but not what Computer Science is good for. And even if they do, they think it has no practical relevance. Let me show you with a simple example, that applied… More »

15th of March, 2017

Why I Love Programming

Programming has many faces. It is the science of structured thinking. It is the art of eloquent expression. It teaches you to be humble when you look at other peoples' fascinating work. Most of all, it teaches you a lot about yourself. While the syntax may change, the concepts will not. More »

30th of October, 2011

Tools

For as long as I can think, religious flamewars have infected computer science. Having arguments about technical topics can be healthy, but flamewars are not. I'm sick of it. I'm fed up with people telling me that their work environment is oh-so better, faster and so on. That's fine, but it doesn't … More »

20th of October, 2011

Are you a Programmer?

My geography teacher once told the story of her first lecture at University. As an introduction, her professor asked the class to draw a map of Germany without any help and as accurate as possible. To her surprise, she was not able to fill the map with much detail. Even the shape of the country was … More »

13th of October, 2011

On Hard Work

Great people get shaped by their achievements There's Thomas Edison who developed countless prototypes before selling a single light bulb. The unemployed Joanne K. Rowling writing Harry Potter in a Cafe while caring for her child. Steve Wozniak creating the first personal computer in his spare time… More »

12th of February, 2010

Overkill – Java as a First Programming Language

I recently talked to a student in my neighborhood about his first programming experiences. They started learning Java at school, and it soon turned out to be horrible. A lot of us learned to code in languages like BASIC or Pascal. There was no object orientation, no sophisticated file I/O and almost… More »