Reflections on Software Performance An Article by Nelson Elhage blog.nelhage.com Performance is a feature Performance changes how users use software Performance needs effort throughout a project’s lifecycle Architecture strongly impacts performance Performance isn’t just about hot spots Performant foundations simplify architecture …we underrate performance when designing and building software. We have become accustomed to casually giving up factors of two or ten or more with our choices of tools and libraries, without asking if the benefits are worth it. performancesoftware
Against Canvas An Article by Alan Jacobs ayjay.org Even with all the features and plugins, Canvas presumes certain ways of organizing classes that might not be universal, just typical. And if (like me) you’re an atypical user, you have to choose between constantly fighting with the system or gradually doing more and more things the way Canvas wants you to do them. This, by the way, is why it’s never true to say that technologies are neutral and what matters is how you use them: every technology without exception has affordances, certain actions that it makes easy, and other actions that it makes difficult or impossible. A technology whose affordances run contrary to your convictions can rob you of your independence — and any technology deployed on the scale of Canvas will inevitably do that. It will turn every teacher into an obedient Canvas-user. I don’t want to be an obedient Canvas-user. technologylearningux