There are a number of great version control systems out there; the most important thing is to pick one and learn to use it effectively. No matter which source control system you decide to use, there are a number of universal principles that will help you to get the most out of source control. Read more »

Cloud platforms are extremely useful when launching a minimum viable product because most of the system administration is handled by the hosting provider, while reserving the option to scale up later if required. Some cloud platforms offer free starter plans to bootstrap applications without making an initial investment. Here is a look at the available options for Ruby on Rails cloud hosting providers, including comments on which one is most appropriate for various types of projects. Read more »

“Combinatorial Algorithms,” the 4th Volume of Knuth’s seminal work, The Art of Computer Programming, has been a long time in the making (Volume 3 was published in 1973), but it is now available for pre-order from Amazon. TAOCP is widely regarded as the most comprehensive book on its topic and is included in GrokCode’s list of essential books for programmers. Read more »