Lately I’ve been joining Zoom meetings with lots of new users and I find I keep sharing the same tips. The short version is: use Gallery View, Mute Yourself, and take advantage of Chat.
Recommendations
Git Preview Changes in Commit Message
You can set Git to preview all of the changes in your commit when you write your commit message. I find this to be a big help in writing my commits (and reminds me to keep the changes in my commits small).
Pompitus Bombasticus
I’m currently reading Neal Stephenson’s “Fall; or, Dodge in Hell” and it includes a description of a band called Pompitus Bombasticus.
This seemed like the perfect music to listen to when I’m programming. I was disappointed to find out Pompitus Bombasticus does not exist. However, if you too are in search of the mythical Pompitus Bombasticus, I suggest you check out the group Two Steps from Hell (which does actually exist).
WordPress and Forcing Major Updates
On August 7, 2019 a proposal was made on the WordPress Make Core website to Auto-Update Old Versions to 4.7, which is a long term plan that would start with automatically upgrading those on the minimum supported version of WordPress to the next version. This proposal has created a great deal of conversation and controversy.
Why Can’t I Host My Website on My Own Computer?
Whenever I’m talking to someone interested in their first website and I tell them about paying a hosting company where the website will live, they’ll often ask, “Can I host my website on my own computer?” This is a great question and while ultimately the answer is no, it is worth looking at why.
Use CTRL-[ as Esc in Vim
The Esc key is not a convenient key to hit on the keyboard. While many will recommend you map another key to act as your Esc key, by default you can use Ctrl-[ instead.
Git Previous Branch
When working with Git on the command line, I spend a lot of time switching back and forth between two branches. Even with Git tab completion, it is a lot of typing. However Git has a shortcut for the previous branch, a single dash (-).
Chrome Prevent Know Your Location Popup
The Allow / Block popup in Google Chrome is an all too familiar sight when browsing the web, however this can be prevented. We can change the setting to automatically Block all location requests (they will not be able to see your location) without seeing the popup.
Never use git push force
Never use git push –force. Seriously, don’t use it. You should always use –force-with-lease instead. We’ll look at the problem with –force and how –force-with-lease addresses the issue.
Git HEAD~ vs HEAD^
Both HEAD^ and HEAD~ can be used in Git to refer to previous commits but in different ways.