It is likely that few features cause as much problems as pointers and references in statement-oriented languages, such as C, C++ and Java. They are powerful, yes, and they allow us to control quite precisely how a program is to represent something. We can use them to conveniently compose objects and data without the redundancy […]
Many software developers, while making a tool to solve a specific problem, heed the siren call of generality. By making a few specific changes, they can turn the tool into a general framework for solving a larger class of problems. And then, with a few more changes, an even larger class of problems, and so […]
Here’s something I’ve wanted to see for some time, but probably don’t have time to work on myself. It would be nice if there was a wikipedia-like web site for code and algorithms. Just the common ones to start with, but perhaps more specialised ones over time. Of course the algorithms should be available in […]
Standardised formats are essential to connections in the digital society. On the hardware side, USB is so ubiquitous and well defined that I can connect essentially any peripheral to any PC. In many cases I can even expect them to work without drivers. For sound, the 3.5 mm headphone plug has been ubiquitous as long […]
As part of an application form I had to fill out recently, I had to write a summary of my research ideas. Of course this changes all the time, since I’m still searching for a precise topic (and probably will be for a long time). But this is what a snapshot of those thoughts, taken […]