Why I code in notepad

I remember how I detested programming back in school – I still do – sometimes. It therefore seemed like a BIG irony, when my friends realized a new (hidden) passion I possessed.

Ever since I became interested in web programming, I have always loved to code in notepad (any variant). Why? I don’t know. I just do.

I personally love to design web pages/applications from scratch – you may call it ‘reinventing-the-wheel’ – which is not so cool, but fulfilling in the end. ;-)

Coding in notepad gives me total control over my code, thus affording me the comfort of debugging software at the testing stage of development.

I am not in any way downplaying the usefulness of tools such as Dreamweaver and Photoshop. These come in handy when you are running against a tight schedule – yeah yeah. Don’t forget however the need to acquaint yourself with the interfaces of such tools (which can be irking at times).

The basic notepad that comes with Windows is not so fun to work with because it lacks colour features. Other variants of notepad, however, have advanced features that make them a joy to work with – and they are FREE: notepad++, programmer's notepad, conTEXT.

He indeed keeps His covenant

All through Sunday school, I've trusted in God -- sometimes only in thought and words, but not with a full conviction within my heart.
All the same, this 'trust' has always saved me from situations, granted me some requests, and fulfilled some promises from God.
A couple of days ago, I was faced with a situation that almost threw me off my urge and left me in a dilemma.
Calmly, I spoke to God (the way I know how to) -- and he saved me.
He's kept His part of the bargain. l now have to keep mine.

Am I ready?

A lot of young CS grads in Ghana – myself inclusive – hope to have their own start-ups after school. Others just want to be employed so they earn some income. The job market, however, is very competitive and the barrier of entry for start-ups is pretty daunting.

The real barrier in my opinion is the fact that most of us want to be perfect before we start our own enterprises or even bid for projects. How do you become perfect without practice?

I remember instances where I did get some projects to work on. I was scared of failure because I thought I was not ready. Guess what, as I started to work on the project, my skills sharpened and I gained new insight into Software Development.

Then comes the next fun-killer, (some) organizations not trusting in the abilities and skills of their young interns/employees, when they design software in-house. These organizations do not even test the software to ascertain its good and bad parts. They only want to buy software they feel is complete and professional – from well established vendors. Sometimes, these ‘so-called’ professional software do not even meet the requirements of the organizations!

This attitude dampens the spirit of these young, enthusiastic interns who literally ‘kill’ themselves to develop something.

It’s about time we start believing in our own folks’ abilities and inculcate the habit of testing in-house software so we get the right software to meet our requirements.

To my fellow yet-to-be developers/entrepreneurs, let’s not be afraid to be ‘thrown into the pool’. With determination and self-belief, we would stay afloat and conquer.

Let’s do it.