Introduction


Over time, I learned to program in quite a few different languages like BASIC, Shells, Perl, 'C' and Java. Although officially not a programmer, I often took initiative creating solutions to improve business or automating a process, crossing the line into programmers territory.

Perl


I like Perl for its easy learning curve, the huge and free availability of quality libraries, the automatic variable type conversions and the convenience of a interpreter-style language.

Java


Java shines in many areas. The strict naming convention schema makes it easy to read foreign code, combined with the object orientation it is easy to re-use code and modules for rapid development.

Compared to other languages, it comes with a extensive library collection out of the box and even includes a full graphic environment. It has its own memory management and an easy way to program multi-threaded for parallel task execution. The platform independence - I never really needed it so it was a 'nice to have'.

C Code


Perl and Java have a dependency, Perl on the interpreter and Java on the virtual machine. Especially with Java I experienced problems: Unpredictable timing behavior during code execution, software packages requiring different JVM's... Running an application server means managing another layer of software with ports, links, database connections, access rights and ... With 'C', the complexity is expected from the start, and this makes it more predictable.

Shell Scripting


Sometimes, a shell is all we have got. And quite often, that is just fine. Because shells don't just interact with the operating system, they also provide powerful programming environments.

Base64 Howto's


Base64 converts binary data reliably into a ASCII string. First used for encoding binary attachments to e-mails, the MIME content transfer encoding allowed binary data to be transferred over media that could only handle text. There, Base64 ensures the data stays intact without modification during transport. Apart from e-mail, Base64 is now commonly used in a variety of applications.

Other


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