Articles by David Bolton

  • Go to article Exploring Magic Methods in Python 3 is Vital for Programmers

    Exploring Magic Methods in Python 3 is Vital for Programmers

    The Python documentation, although generally pretty good, lacks a reference list to so-called “magic methods.” A method is the name for a function in a Python class, and many built-in methods are “magic” becaus…
  • Go to article Is WebAssembly the Web GUI Future?

    Is WebAssembly the Web GUI Future?

    The desktop Graphical User Interface (GUI) has been with us since the 1990s, when Windows became mainstream. Out went character-based screens, replaced by icons and multiple fonts, selectable via mouse. Around…
  • Go to article The State of Structured Query Language (SQL) in 2019

    The State of Structured Query Language (SQL) in 2019

    In 1974, Abba won the Eurovision song contest with “Waterloo.” That same year saw the birth of Structured Query Language (SQL). Created as a standardized language for relational database management, it simplifi…
  • Go to article XML vs. JSON: What's the Difference for Developers?

    XML vs. JSON: What's the Difference for Developers?

    Programming is not just about writing code. If you have a few years of programming experience under your belt, you'll have no doubt encountered the issue of moving data between processes or computers, or creati…
  • Go to article Blast from the Past: Retrieving Old Game Source Code

    Blast from the Past: Retrieving Old Game Source Code

    Way back in 1985, I created games on the ZX Spectrum/Timex and CBM-64. A friend and I set up a small software house, and in addition to creating our own games, we also (and more lucratively) converted games for…
  • Go to article State of C Programming Language in 2019

    State of C Programming Language in 2019

    In four years’ time, C will reach its 50th birthday, an anniversary also shared with PL/M and Prolog. Unlike those two, C remains immensely popular, it’s in the top ten of virtually every programming language p…
  • Go to article 5 Programming Languages You May Not Have Heard Of

    5 Programming Languages You May Not Have Heard Of

    Before the Web became ubiquitous, it was difficult to promote a new programming language. The most popular ones were either pushed by a manufacturer (such as Fortran, originally developed by IBM in the 1950s) o…
  • Go to article Examining Undefined Behavior in C++ Programming

    Examining Undefined Behavior in C++ Programming

    Programming languages such as C and C++ have quirks and undefined behavior. These memory safety violations, integer overflows, and unending loops can really wreck your program (and your day!). Sometimes the und…
  • Go to article 5 Reasons to Eliminate Technical Debt at All Costs

    5 Reasons to Eliminate Technical Debt at All Costs

    Technical debt is the entropy and clutter in your codebase. It increases as developers add new code or modify existing programs, and it means that future developers will have more trouble wrangling the codebase…
  • Go to article Exploring Microsoft's Adoption of Python in Visual Studio

    Exploring Microsoft's Adoption of Python in Visual Studio

    You don't usually think of Microsoft and Python in the same sentence. But now, in Visual Studio 2017, you can develop applications in Python, making Visual Studio probably the best Python IDE around (at least o…
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