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Protect Your Main Branch: A Cautionary Tale

I learned this lesson the hard way. I was working on a personal project, had a great idea, and pushed directly to `main`. Everything broke. The site went d…

The 'XY Problem' and How Stack Overflow Helps You Avoid It

The XY problem is when you try to solve problem X, you think solution Y is the answer, and then you ask for help with Y, completely missing the fact that X…

Beyond Code: Using GitHub for Writing and Collaboration

I’m a developer, but I also write. I recently started using GitHub to collaborate on a book with a friend. We use Markdown for chapters, and GitHub for v…

The Etiquette of Accepting an Answer on Stack Overflow

There’s a little green checkmark next to answers on Stack Overflow. It’s a small thing, but it means a lot. When you ask a question and someone takes t…

Understanding the GitHub Flow: A Simple Workflow for Humans

When I first started with Git, the tutorials were overwhelming. Merge, rebase, cherry-pick—it felt like learning a new language. Then I discovered the Gi…

The Stack Overflow Backup: Why You Should Keep a Snippet Library

You know that perfect solution you found on Stack Overflow six months ago for a weird regex problem? Good luck finding it again. I learned this the hard wa…

GitHub Pages: Your Free, No-Excuse Portfolio

The Downvote: Handling Criticism on Stack Overflow Like a Pro

Getting your first downvote on Stack Overflow stings. It feels personal, like someone said your baby is ugly. My first one was on a question I’d spent ho…

Using GitHub Issues for Personal Project Management

I’m not just a developer; I’m a project manager for my own scattered brain. I started using GitHub Issues to track bugs for my side project, but then I…