Plus, our thoughts on Epic vs. Apple, the larger story around device ownership, and a fun anecdote from running a small business.

Sponsored By:

• A Cloud Guru: A Cloud Guru now includes Cloud Playground. Azure, AWS, or GCP Sandboxes at your fingertips.

Links:

• Upgrading GitHub to Ruby 2.7 - The GitHub Blog — Falling behind on Ruby upgrades has drastic negative effects on the stability of your codebase. Upgrading Ruby supports your application health, improves performance, fixes language and framework bugs, and guides the future of the language!
• Ruby Creator Yukihiro Matsumoto on the Challenges of Updating a Programming Language — A recent presentation from Yukihiro Matsumoto, the creator and chief designer of the Ruby programming language — and Chief Architect of Ruby at the cloud platform-as-a-service company Heroku — offered a clear example of the thoughtful care with which Matsumoto leads his Ruby community.
• Michael Dominick on Twitter — #iOSDev what do you feel about the #AppStore rules? Is the problem the 30% or the restrictions on what you can build? I’m thinking especially of #iPad here. Sound off on this tweet thread.
• Hope you didn’t delete Fortnite or Infinity Blade because Apple just terminated Epic’s dev account — You can’t re-download Epic games anymore
• Apple apologizes to WordPress, won’t force the free app to add purchases after all — “We [...] apologize for any confusion that we have caused”
• Apple Confirms New App Store Policies on Bug Fix Updates and Challenging Guidelines Are Live — For apps that are already on the ‌App Store‌, bug fixes will no longer be delayed over guideline violations except for those related to legal issues. You'll instead be able to address guideline violations in your next submission. And now, in addition to appealing decisions about whether an app violates guidelines, you can suggest changes to the guidelines. We also encourage you to submit your ‌App Store‌ and Apple development platform suggestions so we can continue to improve experiences for the developer community.

Plus the hurdles of working with an eGPU, why you should learn languages you might not use, and a neat pick for playing with HTTP.

Links:

• Mike's eGPU Goodness
• Moving on from Rails and what’s next — A lot has happened during that time. I created Diesel, an ORM for Rust. In April of last year, I began managing the operations of crates.io, which eventually led to the creation of the crates.io team which I co-lead. I also started to find myself less able to effectively contribute to Rails. It became clear that I have a different vision for the future, and that I would never make it onto the core team.
• Learn more programming languages, even if you won't use them — By learning a new language, even if it stays in your toolbox for all eternity, you gain a new perspective and a different way of thinking about problems.
• WLinux's New Name — Hayden Barnes, of Whitewater Foundry, told El Reg that WLinux was only ever supposed to be a codename, and the new name "reflects our distribution's connection to both Linux and Windows". He added "it is close to the Japanese pronunciation and transliteration of penguin, which is pengin." Japan remains the company's top market.
• Pengwin by Whitewater Foundry — Pengwin is the easiest to use Linux distribution on Windows Subsystem for Linux.
• HTTP Prompt - An Interactive Command Line HTTP Client — HTTP Prompt (or HTTP-prompt) is an interactive command-line HTTP client built on HTTPie and prompt_toolkit, featuring autocomplete and syntax highlighting.
• Linux Academy Limited Time Sale!
• LINUX Unplugged Episode 296: Defining Desktop Linux — The way we’ve been thinking about Desktop Linux is all wrong. We start by defining Desktop Linux, and where it might be going in the future.

Links:

• The VHS of Software...
• OmniGraffle — Create beautiful diagrams and designs with this powerful and easy to use app.
• iA Writer — iA Writer removes distractions, giving you a calm, focused writing space.
• Working Copy, Git on iOS — The powerful Git client for iOS that clones, edits, commits, pushes & more.
• Year of Theme inspired by the Cortex Podcast
• Turning Pro (Audiobook) by Steven Pressfield — Tap Your Inner Power and Create Your Life's Work

Plus a batch of your feedback, and a defeated discussion about the state of all desktop operating systems and hardware kicked off by Apple’s taking our beer away.

Links:

• Big A Says Keep an Eye on Playgrounds
• Esteban with words from the gut
• History of IBM — In 1911 the company that leased Unit record equipment, especially Hollerith punched cards and card readers to government bureaus and insurance agencies, became the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR). Thomas J. Watson (1874-1956) took over in 1924
• DOMINANCE ENDED, I.B.M. FIGHTS BACK - The New York Times — In agreeing to drop its antitrust suit against the International Business Machines Corporation, the Department of Justice has recognized what computer experts and securities analysts had long since concluded: I.B.M. no longer dominates the computer business.
• The Computer Chronicles - Profile of Big Blue - IBM (1985) - YouTube — A towering figure in the computing industry throughout the twentieth century, IBM has its own special episode dedicated to its business on this episode of The Computer Chronicles.
• IBM's First 100 Years: A Heavily Illustrated Timeline
• Apple's Revamped Mac Pro to Launch in 2019 - Mac Rumors — Panzarino was told in no uncertain terms that the Mac Pro will not be arriving before 2019 as the product is still in development
• Intel Hades Canyon NUC Review: A Tiny Machine With Smoking Performance — Compact design that doesn't skimp on ports. Front USB is always-on for charging gadgets. SD card reader right where media pros want it. Goes like stink. Quiet.
• Apple’s 2019 Mac Pro will be shaped by workflows — The answer, it turns out, was that Apple had decided to start completely over with the Mac Pro
• The Science of Breaking Out of Your Comfort Zone (and Why You Should) — It's important to push the boundaries of your comfort zone, and when you do, it's kind of a big deal.