Forem: Angela Whisnant

Shel Silverstein's Everything On It

Angela Whisnant — Thu, 20 Feb 2020 16:40:53 +0000

Mind. Blown. Coolest thing I've seen on CodePen so far. Coded by:

.ltag__user__id__9053 .follow-action-button { background-color: #0030b3 !important; color: #ffffff !important; border-color: #0030b3 !important; }

Sarah Drasner

/sarah_edo

sarah_edo sdras

Tribute to Shel Silverstein using Greensock's DrawSVG plugin (and SplitText)

Software Architecture 101

Angela Whisnant — Mon, 10 Feb 2020 16:16:01 +0000

Hi, Everyone! Hope you are all well and enjoyed your holidays. Mine were very busy, hectic, even. So much so, that I found myself with little to no time for web development. But I am gradually getting back into the groove and I wanted to share this article with you all. I know many of us beginners are working on Web App projects and might find this article as helpful as I did. You can check it out here:

How to Design a Web Application: Software Architecture 101 | by The Educative Team | Better Programming | Medium

The Educative Team ・ Feb 6, 2020 ・ 14 min read
Medium

Using a Chromebook for Web Development: Part 3

Angela Whisnant — Sat, 10 Aug 2019 23:22:04 +0000

I am writing this to update readers about the fix I have found for the Arm64 architecture issue I have been experiencing on my new-to-me, linux-enabled Chromebook. If you haven't read parts 1 and 2, they are short reads and worth your time if you are considering a Chromebook for development.
I was able to easily install linux from my settings, but began to have issues finding apps (.deb files) that would work on my arm64 machine.
This has been resolved, however, by installing the Gnome Software Center on my Chromebook.
Using instructions found on Chrome Unboxed, I entered the following command at the linux terminal:

sudo apt-get install gnome-software gnome-packagekit

Enter "y" to proceed and the packages install beautifully....

Notice that these packages are all arm64...Whoo-hoo!
Once this has completed, run the following:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

Wait for these to complete and restart your Chromebook. You are good to go. Here's what you should see when you open Software App in your linux files...a nice graphical interface where you can search for the apps that will run on your system and easily download them.

So this issue has been solved to my satisfaction. I hope some of you will find this helpful!

If you'd like to give this Chromebook Dev Life a try, I would like to make the following suggestions:

Buy a Chromebook on the r/crostini list of linux enabled devices with the following caveat: Get one with a 64-bit architecture: amd64 and x86.64 seem to be the best choices. Or Buy a Pixelbook
If you already have an arm64 device and would like more app choices, do what I did or don't. You may be perfectly happy with VS Code alone.
Go for an Intel processor and get at least 32gb of drive space, more is better, and 4gb of Ram (2gb will be too slow).
Reddit r/crostini and Chrome Unboxed are excellent resources for running linux with Chrome OS.

I have to say, I have been using my linux-enabled Chromebook for 2 weeks now and am absolutely loving it! My son's ASUS ROG Laptop is gathering dust. He's getting it back tonight.

What's Your Favorite Way to Cook/Eat Ramen?

Angela Whisnant — Thu, 08 Aug 2019 17:57:19 +0000

So, I am talking here about the stuff you buy in packages or cups at the grocery store/asian market for 35 cents (sometimes more). Do you add interesting ingredients to yours? Do you use it to create other dishes?
My favorite way to eat ramen is to prepare it with less than two cups of water(the broth is a little more flavorful that way) and add a sprinkle of Tony Chachere's just before eating it, and Manchuren is my favorite...chicken or chicken tortilla! It must be al dente...I don't like mushy noodles! What about you?🍜

Using a Chromebook For Web Development: Part 2

Angela Whisnant — Wed, 07 Aug 2019 23:43:58 +0000

Early last week, I wrote about my excitement over Google's support for Linux on Chromebooks and my search to find a used Chromebook on the list of supported devices. My promise was to let you all know how this plan of mine has worked out.
So, I bought an "open box" Lenovo Chromebook from Best Buy, model number ZA270025US, for $150. The charger was missing, otherwise, it would have been $100. I was able to locate it on the list of Crostini-enabled devices here. Check. Took it home and enabled Linux in the device settings, as promised...thrilled and check. Started my download in the Linux terminal for Atom, but... errors ensued! Oh, no!

error processing atom-amd64.deb (--install)
package architecture (amd64) does not match system (arm64)

No problem. I'll look for a arm64.deb file...
Hours later...I got an arm64 version of VSCode from Headmelted to work on my Chromebook.
It turns out that the processor in this Lenovo is an MT8173, also on the list. But the architecture is Arm64. I had no inkling of an idea that I needed to be concerned about the architecture, other than, that it was supported, and it is, but not so many apps are available. Huh.
For now, I am good. I have a Chromebook that runs Linux and I have a code editor I like. But I'm disappointed that I can't seem to run much else. I have posted an inquiry at r/crostini about what might be doable with this device, so I'll continue to keep you updated.
If you are looking to find a Chromebook of your own to run Linux, I would say, look for one on the list, and make sure apps are readily available; Amd64 and x86-64 seem to be good choices.

Using a Chromebook for Web Development

Angela Whisnant — Sat, 20 Jul 2019 19:21:53 +0000

As many of you know, I have been using a borrowed laptop for my coding classes and projects since May of this year and have been in search of one of my own! I wrote an article requesting expert advice on Laptop Requirements for Coding. You all did not disappoint! I had some really good suggestions about what I should look for and what everyone was using for their development setup. But, nothing intrigued me more than this comment from Matthew Clairmont:

I primarily do security tool development and contribute to a couple of open source projects. That said, I do a good amount of work on my Samsung Chromebook Plus since it has a built-in Linux distro while I'm commuting into work or sitting on the couch.

You had me at "built-in Linux." I already love the simplicity and security of Chromebook OS, but with Linux built in?! That sounded too good to be true! And so, my research began!

At first, I saw a lot of tutorials on using Crouton to essentially jailbreak the Chromebook, which did not seem appealing to me at all. But, as I researched further, I found that Google added built in functionality to run Linux on a VM using a container that lives separately from the Chrome container. Brilliant! Tyler V. wrote an excellent article about how this works here..

In this video, Google Engineers discuss the efforts they are taking to make Chromebooks secure devices for software development.

My plan is to buy a used Chromebook on the list of machines that have this feature built in. If you are interested in trying this, too, there is a reliable list here. I will enable the Linux container and let you all know how it goes in my next installment of this series. I hope to do that next week.

Has anyone else tried this setup or are you as excited by the prospect as I am? Let me know in the comments below! I can't wait to see everyone's input!

Best Practices for Using GitHub?

Angela Whisnant — Thu, 11 Jul 2019 15:10:57 +0000

Hello, Developer Friends! I have another newbie question. I am hoping to take on small coding jobs soon, fixing broken links, basic maintenance stuff, and I was wondering if it is ok to use gitHub for work projects. My initial feeling is that I should not use gitHub because it is an open source community, and I can see where that might be an issue for clients. I know that there is a private option where I can choose who sees and contributes to a project, but I still would like to know what best practices are. GitHub is a powerful tool and I am using it for all my personal projects. I would like to use it on collaborative projects I might do for a start-up of freelance work. But if using it isn't considered ethical, or isn't done, what is useful and acceptabe for project management and integration?

Please let me know your thoughts!

Thanks!

Angie

Real World Experience

Angela Whisnant — Mon, 08 Jul 2019 06:23:23 +0000

I recently read Devon Campbell's post: Pushing Through: Stoicism for Aspiring Web Developers. Along with a lot of other great advise, this one stood out to me:

This philosopher is telling you to stop doing tutorials. I don’t mean you should never use them, but stop leaning on this crutch as the only way you’ll learn.

As Devon explains, development is being presented with a problem and building a solution in software. So the best way to become a web developer, is by working on a software solution to a problem. I have heard this advise from others here at Dev.to, but I have felt that I didn't have enough knowledge to solve anything. Not so. I know HTML5 and CSS and am just starting coursework on javascript. I know stuff.:0) If you are like me, you do, too!

Here is a list of 10 Great Web Development Learning Projects for beginners. They are from Devon's website, RadDevon. I've added two of them to my GitHub repository. One, because I really want it, and the other, because I know I can do it with HTML and CSS.

I hope this will be helpful for my beginner friends and I also would love more learning-project ideas that can be built with HTML and CSS or maybe a little javascript thrown in.;-> Experienced developers, make this article even more helpful...add your suggestions! And, definitely read Devon's articles here on Dev.to, give him a "Follow" and check out his website. He rocks!

.ltag__user__id__68773 .follow-action-button { background-color: #FF0092 !important; color: #FFFFFF !important; border-color: #FF0092 !important; }

Devon Campbell

I help people leave their 💩 jobs to become web developers.

raddevon raddevon https://raddevon.com

Git and GitHub Explained

Angela Whisnant — Thu, 04 Jul 2019 02:31:40 +0000

Hey guys, just want to share a great tutorial I found on YouTube at The Coding Train. Daniel Shiffman is an excellent instructor and his video, Git and GitHub for Poets answers "what is Git" and "what is GitHub" and "how do I use them," through writing a poem about Rainbows. Yay! I finally fully understand how to use this powerful tool! Thanks, Daniel!

Daniel ShiffmanFollow

Running Ubuntu From A USB Drive

Angela Whisnant — Fri, 28 Jun 2019 05:20:59 +0000

Hey, guys! I had quite the adventure today trying to run Ubuntu on my son's laptop from a flash drive, so I thought I would share what I learned here in case some of you would like to try it.
The laptop I am presently using for coding classes is an Asus ROG Gaming Laptop. It has an Intel i7 processor, 16 gb of ram, and a 1TB HDD. There are still over 250 gb of space left, so, theoretically, I could run Ubuntu on this machine as a dual boot with the current Windows 10 OS, but that would require me to partition the drive, which I haven't tried before, so I decided that, since this isn't my computer, I'd go for the less invasive option.

The steps for making this happen are as follows:

Download Ubuntu
Download Rufus and create a bootable drive.
Edit Power Button Settings in Windows Control Panel
Copy Ubuntu to flash drive.
Edit System Bios
Run Ubuntu

Download Unbuntu Depending on your system and network, this can take from 30-45 minutes.

Next, Download Rufus. You will use Rufus to create your bootable USB drive. I found these instructions from Ubuntu's website very helpful. Follow them to create your bootable drive.

Next, you'll need to change the settings for your power button. Make sure you complete this step before you alter the system Bios.

Once Ubuntu download is complete, you'll need to alter your system bios to boot from your USB drive first and Windows OS 2nd. To do this in Windows 10 is much more complicated than it once was in previous Windows Versions.
You will have to go to the settings tab to accomplish this.

Select Settings at the Windows menu
Select Update & security.
Select Recovery from the left menu.
Click Restart Now under Advanced startup. ...
Click Troubleshoot.
Click Advanced options.
Select UEFI Firmware Settings. ...
Click Restart.

Your computer should now boot to the Bios. Make sure the flash drive is plugged in when the Bios comes up. Different Bios can operate in various ways but on my system, I was able to choose the Boot tab and change the boot order of the computer. So now this laptop will boot from the USB drive first, then the C: drive, where Windows 10 OS lives.

Now, Restart your computer with the USB drive. The Ubuntu menu will load. Choose 'Try Ubuntu without Installing.' A usable version of Ubuntu will load!

Fantastic! I am finally using Ubuntu and am loving how fast it is. Many of you recommended it in this post and now I know why. I have downloaded Visual Studio and am ready to go!

Whoo-hoo!! I got a badge!

Angela Whisnant — Wed, 26 Jun 2019 03:53:00 +0000

Want to say thanks to everyone in this Dev community for making me feel like I belong here, even though I'm still just a little codelet:0) Not everyone would bother, you know?
You guys rock!
Angie

Laptop Requirements for Coding

Angela Whisnant — Sun, 23 Jun 2019 17:47:13 +0000

Hello Friends!

I really love this community! So many of you have replied to my requests for feedback and I very much appreciate that! I have another request, though....

I am getting to a point in my Development journey where I need to buy a laptop suitable for coding. In the past, I have had both Mac and Windows-based computers. To me, they both have their strengths. I have never worked with Linux, but am dying to try one of the simpler distro's.

I would love to hear from you all regarding the spec's I should look for in whatever I buy. Are there brands you prefer? What operating systems are you most comfortable with when it comes to coding? How much storage will I need? Will processor speed be a factor? Finally, if you had to replace your laptop tomorrow, what would you buy?

I should probably mention that, since I started my webdev classes, I have been using my Son's Asus ROG laptop, which has worked very well, but I can't afford $2600 for one of these.

Y'all have not steered me wrong, so far...can't wait to see what you think!