A blog showcasing the nerdy side of my life . Now I'd like to take a minute, just sit right there and I'll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel Air.
Javascript Command-Line Simulator
I really thought about giving my main website (lewiswilliams.info) a new paint job. I thought about replacing it with something unique, something totally different that stands out from other portfolios... I created a front-end command-line interface that replicates old-school Linux/Unix. Although it's cool to us nerds, I think it looks a little ugly to those who aren't into coding and IT. The front-end command-line is shown below, so you'll know what I mean.
New Desktop Look
I've been running the KDE desktop environment on my Linux distro for a while now... and have just recently installed an animated wallpaper. Because it's the bee's knees... here's a showcase of what my desktop looks like. Just give the image below a click, and it'll expand.
FYI - the joke you see was grabbed from the icanhazdadjoke.com API. It gives you a random dad joke each time you make a request.
Docker is awesome!
It took me a good month to learn how to use Docker, and how the docker-compose.yml file should be structured. Whoever thought up the idea deserves a medal! when collaborating with other developers, there's no more "well it works on my computer".
The way it works is genius. What happens is; each container runs it's own Linux kernel, and on top of that, your software, and only the dependencies your software needs. Because each container is essentially isolated, this means your host machine is safe... what I mean by this is... many times in the past when compiling open-source code... messing around with dependencies can sometimes break something on my Linux distro.
Radical Framework Big Update
An interesting update was made to my framework RadicalPHP yesterday.
I've been learning SCSS recently, and I understand the great advantages of using it. CSS within web development is very easy to use... however it seems to be stuck in the 90s in regards to "coding principles". In most languages, we have object orientation, which allows us to put our code into objects which greatly reduces repeated code and makes everything a lot more maintainable. CSS does have variables, but using them is a bit awkward when you make a call to one. This documentation is a great source to learn SCSS.
I found a Github repo here which provides a cool SCSS compiler. I decided to implement this into my framework, which easily enables you to compile SCSS for front-end development.
A class called "Scss" was created and serves as a controller to serve compiled SCSS to the front-end. Obviously, some modifications were made to the router to allow this change to work.
Go here to check it out!
New game release
I created a game last night which requires a lot of typing, really putting your typing skills to the test.
The game is created using the Unity game engine. It looks like a lot of effort went into the design and effects, but it really just takes advantage of sneaky post-processing tricks on the camera.
The game is a web-based game, so you're free to play it within your browser. I would love to port this to Android, but I'd have to plan the mechanics and change how you shoot since you really can't do a lot of typing on mobile devices.
PHP Framework Released!
I created my own PHP framework during my time as a software engineer for a few of my projects, and this blog you're currently viewing. Because using this framework has been such a success - I'm releasing it. I'm calling it RadicalPHP. Why this name? I thought of RAD (which is an abbreviation of Radical Application Development) and radical just came to mind...
The framework is available on GitHub here
University dissertation
Since a lot of work and effort went into this, and it doesn't break any university policy... I'd love to share it.
Document Management System model coding
I've taken a very communist approach to the design of my code, specifically the models. I'm trying to keep the functionality as dynamic as possible so it's easy to work with in the future. I'm unsure if I should keep the create function as static or not... or it should be moved to a separate class since this code may break the single responsibility principle? I will probably create a separate class and name it UserRepository which will represent a user account.
Raspberry PI 4!
Since I loved the Raspberry PI Zero - I decided to buy the Raspberry PI 4. It is 4GB in RAM with a decent enough CPU. This thing is tiny so it doesn't take up too much space. It can be turned into absolutely anything you want... from a security system with a camera attached to a NAS drive. With the 2 USB 3 ports - expect good bandwidth.
If you're into IT and technology but you don't know how to use Linux... get a Raspberry PI! they come with the Linux distribution called "Raspbian", which is based off the well-known Debian distro. Having the ability to say on your CV that you have knowledge of Linux really does improve your prospects since many organizations run their services off systems that are mostly operated by Linux.
Knowledge == power.
A document management system to suit all needs
Bespoke software is great and all... but is often limited to having only one purpose. I have been developing a document management system that is highly configurable to a point that it suits the needs of every business and organization, utilizing the power of software development. The management system is not limited to the functionality it ships with. For example - When uploading a document... You will be given the option of setting the title, revision, category, native and PDF of the document. What if a company wants a description? instead of learning how to code to implement this... they have the ability to add it themselves through some sort of settings page. That's the vision.
I plan to implement a very powerful search functionality that allows you to narrow down your search on the fly as you set filters. A plugin system would be cool, allowing developers to code plugins and share them to each other, similar to Wordpress.
The login
The software has made a lot of progress so far, being developed on top of my custom made PHP framework. Before release - the software will undergo intense penetration tests such as SQL injections, XSS and CSRF attacks and more, ensuring the security of the system is strong and there's no way to exploit the system for malicious intentions.
Quantum computing
With quantum computing over the horizon - there will soon be demand for quantum programmers. Eventually, quantum programming will be the norm... in about 40 years. But knowledge is power and the early bird gets the worm and those who snooze loose.
In a nutshell, quantum computing works like a normal computer... just more science fiction. A normal computer sees 1's and 0's (binary) which are known as bits. You're either a 0 (off state) or a 1 (on state). In quantum computing - we have qubits. You're either a 0 or a 1 or both, known as a quantum state. This derives from the Schrödinger's cat paradox. The future of computer science isn't just computing... it's also quantum phsysics... so better brush up on some physics if you want to stay ahead.
Quantum computing will change the world when it arrives. Cryptography and cybersecurity will evolve massively due to how powerful and fast a quantum processor will be. An RSA encryption with 4096-bit keys will be cracked in a matter of seconds if not milliseconds, so if you think you're safe using military-grade encryption to protect your data and privacy... better think again.
The way in which we use the internet will even change. Forget 5G internet... we'll be teleporting qubits using quantum teleportation. This is some Dr. Who stuff...
Microsoft were one of the first to dive straight into quantum programming with their new language Q# which is right now used for expressing quantum algorithms, which I've been learning on and off for the past year. However, other languages have already started to evolve, preparing for this change in the world. Below is a piece of Golang code which generates a qubit and teleports it, and calculates the probability of the qubit being a 1 (on state).
package main
import (
"github.com/itsubaki/q"
"fmt"
)
func main() {
qubit := q.New()
// generate qubits of |phi>|0>|0>
phi := qubit.New(1, 2)
q0 := qubit.Zero()
q1 := qubit.Zero()
// normalize |phi>. |phi> = a|0> + b|1>, |a|^2 = 0.2, |b|^2 = 0.8
qubit.H(q0).CNOT(q0, q1)
qubit.CNOT(phi, q0).H(phi)
// Send mz & mx to Savile
mz := qubit.Measure(phi)
mx := qubit.Measure(q0)
// Apply Z and X
qubit.ConditionZ(mz.IsOne(), q1)
qubit.ConditionX(mx.IsOne(), q1)
// Savile got |phi> state. Store in res variable
res := qubit.Estimate(q1).Probability()
// Print result to console
fmt.Println(res)
}
Android game release
The game had to be small, but fun - so a puzzle game was the first to come to mind. I personally enjoy the games that confuse you, so this is the type of game I decided to develop.
The result was posted to Google and was successfully placed on the play store. It is free and can be downloaded from here.
Blog software release
Not too long ago, I decided to create this little blog to showcase the nerdy side of my life. There's a lot of free blog software out there, but the beauty of being a software and web developer gives me the ability to just create my own, making it look and function exactly the way I want it to.
Because it's so lightweight and simple-to-use... I thought others would like to use it too, so I'm releasing it for free ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Why not . Go here and grab it for yourself.
It is developed in PHP, using PDO to properly prepare SQL statements, and typed properties to prevent any SQL injections. It also makes use of tokens upon authentication to prevent cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attacks, so rest assured there are no security holes... *cough* Wordpress
Requirements
- PHP 7.4+
- Apache (with mod_rewrite)
Golang is awesome!
After a few weeks of learning Golang... I've reached the conclusion that it's awesome, I totally love it.
This is absolutely perfect for microservices. I coded an HTTP server using only 15 lines of code. From here, I could expand and implement routing to serve dynamic content much like Node.js... but what's better here is... it's native! whatever you develop can be deployed natively on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and IOS into a single executable! the performance of what you build far outweighs other languages.
Golang seems to be a combination of the C++ syntax and a more friendly syntax like JavaScript. It is as if they both had a baby together. I will for sure continue learning this.
package main
import(
"fmt"
"net/http"
)
func main(){
fmt.Println("Server started on port: " + settings["port"])
http.HandleFunc("/", serverReply)
http.ListenAndServe(":"+settings["port"], nil)
}
func serverReply(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request){
fmt.Fprintf(w, "%s", "Port is: "+settings["port"])
}
Golang will become highly demanded
Golang has been around for some time now and has caught my eye only recently.
Personally, I like the languages that are cross-platform, lightweight and fast to setup, like PHP and Nodejs. Golang is the same - but what really interests me is the fact that not only is it cross-platform, lightweight and fast to setup... but also native!
Native languages like C++ and C are very powerful but can sometimes be a headache to work with. I have been self-learning Golang and it brings a very nice syntax to the table, making it pleasurable to work with. The language can be used for web development, game development, and applications. I see this language as having huge potential and a strong future.
Why I switched to Linux
Over the years, I have grown to really dislike Windows as an operating system to a point where I've removed it entirely from my hard drive.
The biggest problem I have with Windows... is the bloatware. Does anyone even use Cortana? the AI that just sits doing nothing, eating your RAM. There's also advertisements on the start menu that likes to put a bit of stress on your GPU.
Secondly, the updates that don't ask for permission. During my university days; I was working on my dissertation making big progress to the word count in the library. I went to the toilet and came back to a nice blue screen on my laptop saying "Windows is working on updates. Don't turn off your computer" . I had lost all of my progress, and as a bonus - Windows had reinstalled all of the bloatware I had removed before.
Thirdly, the malware, the spyware, the bitcoin miners, the keyloggers and the ransomware. Now there's a reason cybercriminals target Windows operating systems... because they are easy to exploit, and Windows is the most used OS in the world. It is unbelievable how easy it is to bypass AntiVirus software with a bit of encryption.
Lastly, it is overpriced. Especially considering everything above.
Right now, I use Linux and only that. I use it on my personal laptop, computer and my personal server which I use to host my websites and cloud service. I do not get bloatware eating my CPU and RAM, or updates without permission. Malware finds it very difficult to attack Linux since it needs root access, and root access isn't easy to get without good social engineering. I find developing software and websites so much easier since Linux provides an amazing development environment. Last but not least it's free and always will be.
In the past; I never understood why people don't just switch to Linux - but now it's quite obvious. It is in human nature to be scared of change. Windows is what people have been using since 1995 and Linux just doesn't fit into their comfort zone. Also, gaming can be a big pain with Linux since most game developers target the most popular platforms.
To finish the rant... recently, I've been seeing some massive changes to compatibility issues with Linux. Unity3D is now available for Linux! I can now make progress on one of my personal projects without having to switch computers.
Raspberry PI DNS level adblock
I recently bought myself a Raspberry PI Zero and it's an amazing little device. At first, I attempted to turn it into a NAS drive, since I have a lot of external hard drives sitting around gathering dust. Unfortunately, the PI was too underpowered to handle the bandwidth that I was expecting.
I came across a cool little project called "PI Hole". Pi Hole is a DNS level adblocker. In simpler terms - it blocks those annoying advertisements you see on websites, youtube and social media.
So far, it's been amazing.
Java libGDX 3D framework
I have been using the libGDX API in Java for some years now, creating small 2D games as a hobby. Some months ago, I decided to start getting into the 3D side of things, but this area seems to be very undocumented and the development community doesn't seem to be much focused on it.
I decided to start my own libGDX 3D framework (which can be found here) in an effort to solve the problems that I saw within the 3D API, making it easier to use for me and for everyone else. Everyone loves the entity system within the Unity3D engine, so I decided to go down this route. The framework has been a complete success so far, implementing a first-person controller, skyboxes, and lighting. However, implementing physics such as rigid bodies and collision detection has proven to be a challenge.
Contributors are totally welcome to help tackle this problem since I'm very eager to have this thing released for game developers.
First time using a recursive function
I use JavaScript within my job on a daily basis and have never once used a recursive function as a programmer. I learned the concept during my university days, but never actually thought I'd ever use it in the real world.
The challenge here was to parse a JSON file containing objects, and each object had its own child object. Now obviously the first thing that came to mind was to use the basic for conditional iterative method to loop through each notation, but this method would require you to know how many children each notation has.
Thanks to the 12 hours of studying and brain power, I finally fully understand the use of recursive functions!
