AI is a Tool, and a problem

AI the Tool

I have been using AI for a little while now.  I have had it help me create an Architecture for a complicated app, as well as some of the details of that app.  I have used it to create APIs for other apps, and SL code to create tables.  It has been saving me a lot of time in development.  I have become more efficient and effective as a programmer.  I even played around creating a blog article.  It is a pretty obvious AI article (Cloud Computing).  I doubt I will be doing any more of those as that wasn't a great article.  I am leaving it up as an example, though.  

It has also helped me with one of my weakest parts of development, UI/UX.  I can make a front end, but it is usually not a very intuitive one.  Enter Bolt and Lovable.dev (affiliate link). They may not be the best or fanciest designers, but they make my apps look far better than I ever could.  They also allow me to include my own API calls, so they do more than just a basic website.  You can build a front end to a complicated backend, as long as you have some patience.  

Using these in combination with ChatGPT and Github Copilot, I feel there is nothing I can't get done on my own.  And that is where the problem starts.

Cloud Computing: Empowering Businesses to Scale and Innovate

Have you ever wondered how companies like Netflix stream millions of movies at once or how startups launch their apps to thousands of users overnight? The answer often lies in the power of cloud computing! It’s like tapping into a magical toolbox that gives businesses the resources they need without the hassle of managing physical servers or expensive infrastructure.

Simple Command Line Code to Create Remote Git Repo

 

Git is great for programmers

I remember the days of VSS.  A great tool for a solo programmer, but it wasn't very scalable for a large team.  I am not sure I even ever used it in a team.  It was a great tool for me at the time, and it did help me a few times to go back to code that did work before.  Thankfully, Linus Torvalds created Git in 2005.  Then GitHub, GitLab, and Microsoft bought it all in 2018. (source)

It is hard to even get some jobs without a GitHub account.  That is a bit unreasonable, since 99% of my GitHub projects are private.  Private projects don't even show as green dots on your profile.  I don't feel that is a fair assessment of your programming skills.  I digress.

Can anyone be a programmer?

Anyone, it depends on YOU

Let me preface this by saying that I am a firm believer that anyone can do anything if they put their mind to it.  I have learned many skills I never thought would be possible, and I did it just because I believed I could learn it.  And that is the key, believing you can do it.

It will be harder for some

There are some skills that are needed to be an effective programmer.  Not all people inherently have those skills.  You need to be able to think logically and be a problem solver.  The good news is, those are skills that can be learned!

Getting into Business Central as a Programmer

What led me to it, and how did I get into it?

Why do it in the first place?

It goes back a few months or so when I watched a video on YouTube, but I can't remember who it was.  It may have been RealToughCandy or TiffInTech.  Both of those are good channels for beginners to follow.

It was a video on how to make the big bucks as a programmer.  To me, it was a 'duh' moment.  But, the point of the video is, "don't follow the herd".  An example she used was mainframe programmers are still needed, and the handful of them are making bank.  

But, why Microsoft Dynamics 365, Business Central?

I already had a basic understanding of AL Code, the language used for Microsoft Dynamics 365, Business Central, also known as "BC".  I also knew that my understanding of how to actually structure my projects and code was horrendous.  I had to fix that, but how?

StackOverflow Frustrations

My Gripe

I posted a question about firebase and angular on Stackoverflow, because I couldn't find an answer after searching.  I was having an odd problem with permissions on my database.  I don't even remember the error I was getting, so don't bother asking.  Also, don't bother looking it up, because someone removed it.

WHY??

I understand that it was my fault the error happened.  It was due to the fact that I had to enter myself into a database as an admin using a function I created to do just that.  In the normal use of that function, you have to be an admin to run the function.  So, I removed MY code that was blocking me from creating ME as the FIRST admin.  I have since found out there are other ways to do what I needed.  That is beside the point.

When I first added myself as admin, I used the value 'true' instead of true.  If you are a programmer, you know the difference, and I won't get into it.

Once I figured out what my problem was, I posted the solution as an answer to my own question.  I figured, even though it was a pretty obscure and specific problem, maybe it will help someone else with a similar issue with data types and show them it can happen anywhere at anytime.

But, some asshole removed my entire post.  They deemed it not worthy.  In my mind it WAS helpful, there was NOTHING negative about it.  It was CODE related, etc.  How can it be that ONE person, from a group of thousands, can decide that my post is not worthy, without any checks and balances?

Am I missing something?  I very well could be. They tried to explain it. I am honestly writing this MONTHS after it happened, and I don't care to look at the why anymore.  At the time I looked, it made no sense.  Something about it not being relevant is all I can remember.  

How can a problem with data types and how to fix an odd problem NOT BE RELEVANT?  I would bet that ALL things programming would be relevant.  It was definitely NOT a duplicate post.

Rant Over

In the grand scheme of my programming career, I truly don't give 2 shits.  It annoyed me, and I just had to vent about it.  I feel better, for now.  LOL.  I was probably more annoyed that I should have seen my absolutely stupid mistake first.

I tend to solve my stupidity faster than other people can see it.  

I hope anyone who reads this does NOT have the same issue with that site that I did, but I am sure others have gone through this.  Maybe I am just a little butthurt about it.    

Do Programmers Need Side Projects?

Do we REALLY need them?

The centuries long question about programmers and side projects, do we really need them?  I mean, doesn't a day job take enough?  We work countless hours at work, sometimes 60+ hours a week.  Why on earth would anyone want to do more on the side?  There are several reasons to have side projects, and some good points not to have any.  Let's look into it.

My "Why"

I go between having no side projects and having at least one (sometimes more) at any given time.  During COVID, it has helped my sanity a bit, distracting me from the crap that is going on in 2020.