Software

This is a short piece on how to set up dev containers in VSCode with Podman and Claude Code. Download and install Podman Desktop bash this to use podman instead of docker: echo 'alias docker=podman' >> ~/.bashrc` Install the dev containers extension in VS Code and configure it to use podman as the dockerpath for dev containers: Create a Dockerfile: FROM mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/javascript-node:18 WORKDIR /workspace Create a devcontainer.json file: { "name": "Node.js Dev Container with Claude Code", "build": { "dockerfile": "Dockerfile" }, "features": { "ghcr.io/anthropics/devcontainer-features/claude-code:1.0.5": {} }, "workspaceFolder": "/workspace", "customizations": { "vscode": { "extensions": [ "ms-vscode.vscode-json" ] } } } Ensure you have started Podman: podman machine start In VS Code: ctrl + shift + p and then choose Rebuild and reopen in container Use ctrl + shift + p and choose Reopen folders locally to stop « Back to Posts ...

I had a re-think about my project ideas. Previously I was trying to become a full-stack developer in an attempt to remain employed as a software developer. I thought that if I knew front-end and back-end code then I would be alright. The truth is that, of course, you cannot compete with AI on that front. The only way to survive the coming AIpocalypse will be to embrace AI entirely. Lean in to having AI do a lot of the coding for you. ...

As part of my push to stay relevant in the world of software, AI, megaCorps, offshoring, and ethnic-nepotism, I am attempting to because a full-stack developer with an actual portfolio of work to showcase. To this end I have decided to pick up my original purpose for this website: Retrograde Online. Who knows whether it will go anyway, but its a good learning vessel regardless. Read about it here? « Back to Posts ...

Bad news all, I am starting again on my Retrograde Online game. I realise I said I was bored with the whole thing and put it in the bin last year, but now I am trying to re-brand as a full-stack developer, it will be a good vessel for me to learn the many things I lack. I will be doing things a little differently this time, and trying not to make the same mistakes again. ...

This post follows on from part one where I just downloaded the essentials for creating a barebones React app. This post will be about React itself, kind of, but mainly about installing TailwindCSS. How to run stuff If you are unfamiliar with using npm to run apps, or you miss the play button that Visual Studio provides, you can open up the package.json file. In it you will see a bunch of dependencies as well as a scripts section. For example in order to run the linter you need to run the command: ...

I’ve decided to have another go at learning React. My first attempt at this was actually for creating Retrograde Online, which was the entire point of this now-pointless blog. As my brain is broken I will try to write down the stages I am going through for a basic React setup, and hope this act of repetition will make the info stick. Here are the steps to follow for setting up the tools: ...

Hello all and welcome to the latest edition of Retrograde Online. In this post I detail how I am once again pushing back against the feelings of boredom and restlessness and trying to reverse some of the entropy of the universe. Cuba Libre I recently bought Cuba Libre and was immediately into the complexity of it. I have never played a COIN1 game before, and Cuba Libre was apparently the best one to get started with learning the rules. ...

Once again I am writing a PSA to myself on pushing code to a remote git repository after having started writing code. I did this before on the previous and equally pointless version of this website. Anyway, you’ve written your code and have done too much faffing about with it to start over with a brand new repository, so you’ve instead created a repo on GitHub and want to push your local code up to it. ...

Yes, regular readers of this blog1, it has been nine days since I last looked at this book (and twenty days since the chapter one post). Good thing I wrote about the previous chapter as I’d already forgotten half of the information in it and had to re-read my first post on it. Actually, if you needed a refresher on that, why don’t you just click here and go read it yourself? Or maybe use the little breadcrumb trail thing at the bottom of this page that I took from my Arkham Horror playthrough. ...

It is that time of the month where I have an internal crisis of competence regarding my career and ability. Technology is advancing, languages are maturing, frameworks are evolving, and I have been sitting back and stagnating. I never really make the best use of my time as you can probably tell from this blog. I find it very difficult to read a book the whole way through without getting distracted by a different book. I am not saying I need to spend 18 hours straight absorbing an entire book in one go, but I do need to set aside some time to read. As I work from home I can just fold this into my working day1. ...