Wtf is up with so many dev tools using auto-complete, suggestions, tooltips, etc.? Seeing all of these "helper" add-ons really makes me depressed that developers are asking for (and using!) these "features". If you're working with SQL, shouldn't you know the syntax of an insert statement? If you don't, and rely on the tool to guide you through it, maybe you shouldn't be writing SQL at all.

Perhaps I'm just a bit of an old school purist, but having all of this automatic bullshit is like constantly reminding a carpenter about basic stuff.

"This is a hammer, hold it like this!"

"That's a mitre saw! Be careful!"

Tips such as these are only relevant if you're a shitty carpenter, and the same goes for dev tools.

If I'm going to be badgered, I want useful tips.

For instance, run static analysis to tell me I've got a potential deadlock scenario in my code.

Or make observations about layout and suggest a design pattern to improve organization.

Or highlight certain methods (or blocks of code) that are fully self-contained and amenable to writing unit tests, thereby encouraging me to do something useful and beneficial.

But instant activation of all possible keywords in a particular context? "Here are 20 things you might want to type now..."

Come on. That's not useful, and it's faster for me to just type out what I want, rather than scroll through a tiny little context menu looking for the answer. That's really my complaint. These "features" are intrusive, inefficient, and encourage people to blindly rely on them without learning (and using) the basic skills of the trade.

I wonder how detached developers will be in 20 years. I imagine they'll be using some insanely abstract high-level language where the author has no idea what the hell is going on.

After 6+ months of dormancy, I've finally wrapped up the Sound Switcher widget. Functionally, I'm pleased with the results. Cosmetically, that's another story.

I would really like to get feedback from anyone who tries it out, likes it, has issues. The core functionality works great (and has since last June!) but the widgety part is questionable.

I had been using Dashcode which was helpful, but then it expired and I was forced to hobble along with klunky UI debugging tools, hence the huge lag between now and the start of this project. And yes, I know Dashcode is part of Leopard; no, I'm not on Leopard yet.

Check it out here

i just subscribed to make. It's a print + online magazine that's filled with all kinds of cool shit for geeks.

I thought we had seen the end of refrigerators with built-in Internet browsing, but Whirlpool just announced a new contribution to the otherwise dumb idea.

Instead of making a fridge with a built-in computer system (which they apparently agree consumers don't want), they're instead making a fridge with a platform for other vendors to make computer and iPod hookups. Somehow, this is better.

From A Chilling Idea at C.E.S.:

In a press release, Whirlpool said that 30 percent of laptop computer, digital photo frame and digital music player owners use their devices in the kitchen - making the centralpark(TM) connection a natural step in appliance evolution.

That's as dumb as finding out that people take laptops with them into the bathroom, so they should have a toilet with built-in web browser. Seriously, people don't browse photos, internet, etc. in the kitchen standing in front of the refrigerator. They're probably sitting down, or least leaning over the counter.

Why even be in the kitchen in the first place?
Because that's where people congregate.
But why there?
Because everyone eats, snacks, drinks, and the kitchen is the heart of that.

So I'm supposed to believe that you should now hang out in the kitchen, glued to the front door of the very thing which contains exactly that (food & drink) which attracts people there in the first place? Not a chance.

Whoever tries to surf the web on that stupid fridge is gonna get beaten up for being in everyone else's way.

I tried vi integration in Eclipse a long time ago, gave up because the integration was crappy. I don't remember what I used. Anyway, I just checked again and found Eclim which has great features. It doesn't hurt that it's free + open source, unlike viPlugin which costs 15 Euros.

Update: I finally managed to get Eclim sort of running on my Mac. After wasting time to discover that the Eclim installer didn't recognize Mac Vim, I downloaded Vim source for unix and ran configure + make + make install, then the Eclim installer let me proceed. So I started eclimd but the first test failed, I cannot run :PingEclim. The docs say I should go to the forums for help. You've got to be kidding! I've already wasted enough time to declare Eclim a lame, half-baked solution, and the install docs are to post on forums and wait for who-knows-how-long? ...Deleting Eclim right now...