Posts on Else Web Development

Neovim vs Helix: Which is the best Vi/Vim style modal editor?

Tue, 19 Apr 2022 18:13:09 +0000

Introduction

Neovim and Helix are both modal editors for programmers. They have a lot in common, but different approaches to providing the IDE (integrated development environment) features that make them so appealing.

IDE features make writing code easier and more productive. They include things like intelligent code completion and integration with the Git version control system. These features differentiate a program designed for writing code from a basic text editor.

Ultimate Vim Keyboard Shortcuts

Fri, 06 Aug 2021 19:32:13 +0000

A well-thought-out printable PDF of Vim keyboard shortcuts to enhance your workflow. I hope you find some cool ones you didn’t know about, and also find it a useful reference to the essentials.

These shortcuts are all available out of the box in Vim and Neovim. If you want a full custom setup for Neovim using the best Lua plugins then have a look at my Developer Workstation Setup Script

Linux one-liners: Using the standard Find command to replace 3rd party fuzzy finders

Tue, 12 Jan 2021 12:56:11 +0000

When trying to solve a problem using Linux you can rest assured that someone has come across it before, and probably solved it back in the seventies.

Everyone needs to search their hard drive for files and open them in a program of their choice. Using a mouse-driven desktop file explorer is terdious, so what is the best way to do it without leaving the beloved terminal?

There are a lot of command-line ‘fuzzy finders’ that all vie for your attention. Don’t waste your time, Linux has the find command built-in and it can do basic fuzzy file searching in one line! You just need to unravel the cryptic syntax and wrap it up in a function.

Neovim Explained: How to Build a Plugin-Free Nvim Config That Unlocks Builtin Features

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 12:00:19 +0000

Neovim (aka Nvim) is a radical refactor of Vim. It aims to take Vim, improve the code, and add more features. They are mostly compatible but have slightly different defaults. The settings in this Neovim tutorial should also work with the latest Vim.

Neovim is a text editor, but it can be configured with plugins to be closer to an IDE. Plugins are a big subject we are not going to cover in this tutorial, we are aiming to get a minimal working setup with zero bloat.

CentOS 8 Setup for Developers

Mon, 01 Jun 2020 13:03:00 +0000

CentOS 8 is a free version of RHEL 8 which was branched from Fedora 28. I consider this new version of CentOS to be the first viable long term support version of Fedora.

In this article, I will discuss why CentOS 8 is amazing for developers, and walk you through my install script to make downloading all the additional software you need easy and automatic.

Many people consider CentOS to be only for server use. In the past, it has been hard to setup for development and as a general use desktop. This is not true anymore, so follow along and join me on this magical journey into the promised land of stability and up-to-date applications!

Typescript Airbnb Style Guide Optimized for Prettier in One JSON File

Sat, 16 Nov 2019 15:29:07 +0000

The Airbnb Style Guide is one of the most popular and comprehensive set of ESlint rules. Sadly there is no official version for TypeScript, but there is eslint-config-airbnb-typescript. It does all the painstaking work of making the Airbnb linting rules compatible and optimized for TypeScript and TypeScript ESLint.

While you can install and set things up the usual way using NPM, if you are using Prettier things get very complex and the dependencies pile up fast.

TypeScript 3.7 Utility Types | Printable PDF Cheat Sheet

Tue, 12 Nov 2019 13:57:20 +0000

Learning modern TypeScript is not easy, especially when the Language Specification was last updated in Jan 2016. This is eventually going to be remedied with a brand-new version of the handbook, but the pace it is being written is glacial. Much of the current official documentation and general blog based information is outdated too.

To add to this horror, well-meaning people seem to have confused the meaning of the words ‘cheat sheet’ with ‘pages of vaguely related information in an unprintable format’. Maybe younger developers have never encountered a ‘printer’ device before? A decrepit antique that feeds on the corpses of dead trees and splits out thin slices of white ‘analogue information’ that requires physical space to store.

Configuring Fedora & Localhost Setup

Sun, 05 Nov 2017 17:04:27 +0000

This is the first part of my series of step by step guides to turn Fedora into the ultimate web development platform.

I am going to assume that you have Fedora installed already, or are comfortable installing it yourself. Once you are up and running, just run the terminal application and follow along to set up your perfect development environment.

In this guide we will discover:

How to set the host name, and why it’s important.
Which repositories to install and how to do it.
How to setup subpixel rendering to improve font appearance.
How to setup and configure your LAMP environment for localhost development.

Linux for Web Development Guide

Wed, 01 Nov 2017 22:05:42 +0000

Many years ago a good friend of mine named his pet rat Linux. I had heard of this mysterious operating system before, but tales of days spent configuring hardware drivers, and cellar-dwelling neck beards scared me away. Why bother using it, never mind naming your rat after it!? In this guide we will discover:

Exactly what Linux is, and how it differs from Windows and Mac.
Why we should use it for web development.
Exactly which version of Linux is best for the job.