Skip to content

Every Tuesday at 12pm Mountain Time

weekly-dev- chat logo

A casual weekly virtual chat mostly focused on web and software development.

Weekly Dev Chat is a place to ask questions, hear different viewpoints, and get to know your fellow developers. Every week there is an initial topic posted to get the discussion started. Sometimes we discuss the initial topic the entire chat, and other times the topic changes several times through the natural flow of the conversation.

Everyone and anyone are welcome to join as long as you are kind, supportive, and respectful of others.

Digital Spring Cleaning

Spring* is finally here! Well, hopefully. With that comes the time for spring cleaning. For me, that means outdoor tasks like getting the BBQ cleaned, prepping the garden, trimming the trees, and cleaning windows. I also try to use this time for digital cleaning, like unsubscribing from emails I no longer read, deleting apps and files I don't need, and deciding which projects need to be sunsetted.

This week's (2026-04-28) chat topic is digital spring cleaning. Do you do a digital spring cleaning? If so what do you delete, remove, and/or conclude? If not, then when do you do your digital cleaning? Are you one of those people that is constantly keeping your digital life clean and tidy?

Everyone and anyone is welcome to join as long as you are kind, supportive, and respectful of others.

*For those not in the Edmonton (YEG) area, spring means no snow and above-freezing temperatures (0 Celsius, 32 Fahrenheit). As of this writing, the last snowfall was April 26th at the airport.

**Image generated using ChatGPT. I like the happy positive vibes from the image.

Cheerful digital spring cleaning illustration

How Deep Should You Go?

Today’s chat (2026-04-21) we’ll talk about this ongoing debate between what you should know as a developer.

One side says: “Every programmer should learn C. Implement a linked list, hash table, and binary tree. Then build a simple CLI program and a basic network server. Not because you’ll use it daily, but because it strips away every abstraction you’ve been hiding behind and shows you what’s really beneath whatever language you use daily.”

Another side responds: “Every C programmer should write assembler. Every assembler programmer should write machine code. Every machine code programmer should design a chip. Every chip designer should work on a Turing ticker tape machine. Learn what you need for the level you work at. And a bit of what’s further down and further up the stack. For most people, linked lists are further down the stack than they need to venture.”

Who’s right? What has worked for you personally?

Everyone and anyone is welcome to join as long as you are kind, supportive, and respectful of others.

Close-up of ticker tape

IRL: picoCTF Pairing

Join us for an in-person Weekly Dev Chat focused on solving picoCTF challenges together.

This event is designed for both experienced CTF players and people brand new to capture-the-flag challenges. We’ll pair up, help each other through problems, and practice practical cybersecurity skills in a friendly setting.

The event runs on Wednesday, April 22 from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM at Edmonton Public Library - Strathcona. Register and view full details on Luma:

https://luma.com/jbjhkupb

IRL picoCTF Pairing event image

*ChatGPT created the header image. Not bad but still has the unique AI feel to it.