• in Coding
  • 13 min read

Developing at Speed

One of the main outputs of research development is the proof of concept. An early lesson I picked up when I joined HCL Labs was to deliver working code, not slides. And the key when building a proof of concept is speed. In some cases, it may end up proving why an approach won't work. In many scenarios, it may end up being put on a shelf indefinitely. Even if the concept proves appealing, the implementation choices may not be the preferred option for the final solution. So speed is of the essence: spending a couple of weeks building something that goes nowhere is acceptable; spending a couple of months is not. So the ability to get maximum results in the minimum time is key.

But how do you do that?

  • in Rust
  • 6 min read

Adventures in Rust

One of my core principles for IT research development can be summed up by a saying more than 2500 years old, attributed to Solon and appearing twice in Plutarch’s Life of Solon: “I grow old always learning many things”. In many ways, to stop learning is to stop living.

  • in AI
  • 5 min read

Using AI

As a researcher, I'm always looking to learn, to expand the toolbag I have, and find innovative ways to improve outcomes. Even when AI is not at the heart of the project I'm working on, I'm constantly looking for ways it can make my life easier and life easier for developers using what I create. And the fact that we targeted a standard IDE means the effort required to integrate AI is reduced. But as with any new tool, it's important to learn what it can do and what it can't. And work this week has shown me that this requires a diligent approach.

  • in Web
  • 14 min read

XPages App to Web App: Part Nineteen: Spots By Date and Stats Pages

Back when the application was on XPages and spots were associated to a trip, there was a summary page that gave stats for the number of new spots, ships, ports, and countries during a trip. Now the requirement for trips has gone. But sometimes it's nice to see details of new documents across a period of time. So over the weekend, I added that functionality. This was very similar to a Spots By Date page, which I had not yet covered. So we'll cover both together.

  • in XPages
  • 3 min read

Avoiding Inline Styles in XPages

Recently there have been discussions about inline CSS in XPages. The absence of anyone mentioning a feature in XPages prompted me to eventually ask about a piece of functionality relevant to this.