Here at Dot Net Perls I use a Rust program to generate all the site as static files. This means it is super fast to serve up when someone wants to view a page. But it means all the work involved in developing the site is done in a 7000-line Rust program.

When working with Rust, I often end up fixing a lot of compile-time errors. This is one of the key benefits of Rust: problems are found earlier, before the program ever compiles. Here are some related benefits to getting compile-time errors:

When the Rust compiler tells you to add a clone call or to a reference a variable, it gives syntax suggestions as well. So it makes the developer feel smart because he or she is fixing all these bugs one after one. I guess an ego boost is helpful once in a while.

It is time for a new feature on Dot Net Perls. For many years I have focused on writing technical articles about popular programming languages. Many of these articles are still useful, but others have lost some relevance with time. And I have decided a more personal touch may be of more value now than ever before.

In the last couple years, LLMs like ChatGPT have become widely used, and people are using them for technical content. It is unclear whether the existing articles here will be able to compete. But what cannot be replicated with LLMs is a personal touch. I hope to write a positive blog about the craftsmanship of programming—not just to promote my existing articles, but to try out something entirely new as well.

Some ideas I have include:

I feel strongly the vibe of the blog should be positive, so I want to avoid ranting about things that might be upsetting to me or others. The craftsmanship of programming should be something uplifting, not negative. I will do my best to keep things worth reading as well. As far as LLMs go, I will not be using any text generated by machines—if it wasn't worth writing for a human, why should a human be expected to read it? Each article should contain a picture of some sort, just for visual effect.