David Wesst

Defining the Problem before the Solution

Before you create a solution, you need to understand the problem. It sounds obvious enough, yet I see developers (including myself) getting into the code and design phase before they really understand the problem they are trying to fix. These are the steps I take a properly understand a problem I am trying to solve, prior to coding or solution-ing anything.

Docker Build Hangs When Adding Key with apt-key in WSL2

The solution to the problem where an apt-key command seems to run forever in your docker build.

Highlight Reel for 2022

When a new year arrives, it is a great opportunity to take a moment to reflect on where you started at the beginning of the year, and where you ended. When I look back on 2022, I noticed events reflected in my GitHub contribution graph that highlight some common cycles in my own behaviour. I want to take a moment to document this, and hopefully you can use this an example to examine your own progress and behaviour patterns that might be aiding (or impeding) your own personal and professional growth.

Speaking at Tech Events Helps You Grow

A large part of my career growth is tied directly to speaking at tech events like conferences and user groups. I have had many people ask me about my experience and wanted to share it for others who might be wondering what benefits actually are.

Docker Desktop for Linux is not the same as Docker Engine

With Docker for Desktop available for Linux (which I like), I managed to get myself confused regarding its role on my Linux-based development machine. This post clarifies a few things I discovered while triaging an issue I had trying to test my GitHub Workflows locally.

Prairie Dev Con 2022 Takeaways

The talented speakers that come together for Prairie Dev Con always bring fresh ideas to my mind and give me pause to think about my own efforts and how I can learn from their experience. Although not a complete list, these ideas the ones that stood out the most from Prairie Dev Con 2022.

Open Graph Tools and Resources for Web Nerds (Like Me)

A compilation of tools and resources I used to implemented the Open Graph Protocol (OGP) for my website to make posts and pages more engaging on LinkedIn and other social networks.

Does GDPR Apply to Personal Websites?

While rebuilding my personal website in 2022, I wanted to know how or if GDPR applied to my little side project. My internet sleuthing did not bring up any clear and cut answers, but I put together some thoughts that might help others answer it for themselves.

How much is enough documentation?

Documentation is important, but it takes a lot of time and if you are a solo developer, what documentation to you really need? Still, good docs can provide the context I forget after putting a project on the shelf, or explains how to fix something in older code I use, but haven't touched in a long time. So how much is 'enough' documentation and what types of documentation do I need to invest in give my future self the the best value for the effort I put in?

How to fork (a repo) like a boss!

Everyone thinks about forking. It is a natural thing, yet how do get the job done and fork? I used to ask myself the same thing, until I learned these pro-tips and forked like a boss.

Azure Static Web Apps (SWA) are fine, just not great

Azure Static Web Apps feel like a good idea, but in practice I struggled with understanding what the product is trying to be. This post documents my experience working with SWAs on a few projects, namely this website, along with the problems and workarounds/solutions I found to those problems.

Working around 'Refuses to Connect' Issues with IFrame Embedded Twitch Players

With me doing more livecoding sessions on Twitch, I wanted to embed some clips into my blog posts and hit some weird issues. I managed to get it working and wanted to document the workaround so I don't forget it.

Cannot Find Module Bootloader.js in VSCode DevContainer

Problem: When running node commands from within a DevContainer, you receive the error 'Cannot find module bootloader.js'. This post contains the solution.

Personal and Professional Fulfillment through Cake and Ice Cream

I made a cake and two kinds of ice cream, from scratch, for my daughter's birthday. The process of making a plan, adapting, executing, delivering, and being validated highlighted how important it is to feel fulfilled, both personally and professionally.

Advent of Code 2021: Day 1

My initial thoughts after completing the first day of my first journey into the Advent of Code

I am NOT trying to be a Game Developer

It's time for me to come clean about something: I am not trying to become a game developer. BUT...I am still trying to make video games.

Finding Inspiration in Princess Tomato and the Salad Kingdom [NES]

In search for inspiration in my own game collection I've decided to explore this text-based salad adventure.

YouTube and Twitch: My Revengence

I miss making video content, but what value does YouTube and Twitch content give you?

I Can Teach Your Dog Quantum Physics

It's true! I read a book about it and everything. Let me breakdown the highlights of this book that does a pretty good job of explaining the physics behind quantum computing.

What Value Does Making Content Bring to Me? (not a typo)

I realize it's a selfish question, but if the post isn't valuable to me then why would it be valuable to you?

Should you bother with a Website?

It's 2021. Websites are sooooooo....2006. With social media dominating the way people consume content these days, what is the point of having a website today? I asked myself this question as I put the effort into reviving my dead website and I stand by the idea that having a website for yourself, project, or business is a need rather than a nice-to-have.

My Secret Addiction to Likes

I decided to take a month off of contributing to social media. More specifically Twitter and YouTube, but Facebook and Instagram as well. That single month has turned into just over three months now, and I learned a few things about myself and how I think my return to some social media will be a good thing.

Lucky Number v7

I fixed up my blog-website-thingy again. I'm calling this v7, although I'm pretty sure there are a few incarnations of the site that were lost early on in my years, but v7 seems about right for the content I'm sharing here. In any case-- I thought I'd share the "why" around the new website revamp and how I think a project like this is just what I need.

From Travis CI to GitHub Actions (and GitHub Pages)

We recently migrated the continuous integration and deployment workflow for the Western Devs website from Travis CI to GitHub Actions. These are the steps I followed to get it done.

New Artwork and a Complete Rewrite...ish | Out the Door Devlog

My effort continues on Out the Door with some new artwork, a rewrite (of sorts) to fix the build process, which has led to something of a self-driven code review.

A Solo Gamejam Experience | A Ludum Dare 47 Story

Game Portfolio Self Evaluation (in prep for Ludum Dare 47)

Ludum Dare 47, a weekend long global gamejam, is coming up in a few weeks. In order to prep for the event, I decided to take the time for review and reflect on my game portfolio to see what I learning objective and goals I can set for myself.

Release Notes for Little Shop of Wall Street 0.1.0-beta

Little Shop of Wall Street has a 0.1-beta release!

I Miss Blogging

How Github Makes Game Making Easier for Noncoders

Jan 2020 Devlog

A vlog post where I review the progress I've made on the game Car Scientist.

Where to Find Your Gamedev Community

Gamejam Pro Tips and Lessons Learned

GitHub Game Off 2019 Game Jam featuring DW

For the past month I have been participating in the GameOff 2019 Gamejam hosted by GitHub over on Itch.io and I've been devlogging about it over on my YouTube channel.

Streaming Code and Play on Mixer every Thursday and Sunday

This month I started livestreaming game code and gameplay every Thursday and Sunday night at 9:30pm CT

F12 Chooser is a Dev Tool Thing

Picking between TypeScript and JavaScript

Crowdsourcing Documentation is Cool

Windows Subsystem for Linux is Cool. No really, it is.

With the Fall Creators update of Windows 10, you can go to the Windows Store and install Linux. Yeah, that's a thing now and it's pretty cool.

Sonar, the Linter I Never Knew I Wanted

Meet Nellie the Narwhal, the official mascot for Sonar, the linting tool for the web. Nellie represents a tool that is long-overdue. It provides any web application the ability to verify they are meeting a high level of quality when it comes to their web applications, and not miss any common mistakes.

Service Workers and PWAs are Super Cool

One of the core items highlighted by the Microsoft Edge team, along with many others who were just web professionals, was the importance of Progressive Web Apps (PWAs). I started out thinking they were something that could be interesting one day, but left the conference convinced that this will change the way we think of the web.

Posh-GVM, the Groovy Version Manager for Powershell

Here's another dev thing I use: Posh-GVM, a Groovy version manager that works for Windows.

Jabba, the Java Version Manager for Everyone

Here's another dev thing I use: Jabba, a cross-platform Java version manager that works for Windows.

NVS, the Node Version Manger for Everyone

Here's another dev thing I use: NVS, or the Node Version Switcher. It works on Windows and it's great.

No Cost Game Design Toolbox

IstanbulJS Code Coverage Reports in VSTS

Here's another dev thing I use: IstanbulJS in Visual Studio Team Services (VSTS) builds and display the test reports as part of the build reports.

Mocha Test Reports in VSTS

Here's another dev thing I do: Display my MochaJS test report in the Visual Studio Team Services (VSTS) build report.

Conquest April 2017 Devblog

Introducing My Game Project - March 2017 Devblog

This is the first of monthly status update posts on my video game project I call Conquest.

How to Compile TypeScript into a Single File with SystemJS Modules with Gulp

I decided to move a TypeScript project from AMD modules (i.e. RequireJS) to SystemJS, still using Gulp. In this post, I walk you through the sample project I've created and share the lessons I learned along the way.

Initial Thoughts on Using Phaser

As a side project, I started making another JavaScript-based video game and decided to go with Phaser as my framework of choice. Here are my initial thoughts about Phaser after using it on my project for the past two months.

How to Blog with VSTS (Part 4)

I wanted to understand how to use Visual Studio Team Services (VSTS) for a "real" project. Being a noob, I decided to move my blog to VSTS to understand how _any_ project can benefit from ALM practices using VSTS. In part 4 of 5, we setup a _Build_ script.

How to Blog with VSTS (Part 3)

I wanted to understand how to use Visual Studio Team Services (VSTS) for a "real" project. Being a noob, I decided to move my blog to VSTS to understand how _any_ project can benefit from ALM practices using VSTS. In part 3 of 5, we start to make plans and _Work_ on our blog.

How to Blog with VSTS (Part 2)

I wanted to understand how to use Visual Studio Team Services (VSTS) for a "real" project. Being a noob, I decided to move my blog to VSTS to understand how _any_ project can benefit from ALM practices using VSTS. In part 2 of 5, we get our blog into source control.

How to Blog with VSTS (Part 1)

I wanted to understand how to use Visual Studio Team Services (VSTS) for a "real" project. Being a noob, I decided to move my blog to VSTS to understand how _any_ project can benefit from ALM practices using VSTS. In part 1 of 5, we get things setup.

How to Use Global NPM Packages on a VSTS Self-Hosted Build Agent

I setup a self-hosted build agent in Visual Studio Team Services. My build installed global NPM packages, but the tasks that used them later on in the script would fail because they were unable to use them. This post describes what I did to get them working.

Windows Not Required - The New Microsoft Development Story (Video)

I delivered a presentation at the Winnipeg .NET User Group last week, where I recorded it and posted it on YouTube. I go over a number of Microsoft development tools and technologies that don't require Windows and deliver the demos on my Linux machine.

How to Fix node-gyp Error on Windows

Whenever I get a new machine, I pull down a new project using the `npm install command and get an error related to python and node-gyp. This post will remember the fix for this problem that I always forget.

How to Build ReactJS with Gulp

I started to tinker with React last week and needed to do some digging on how to transpile the React JSX files using Gulp. In this post, we walkthrough my newly updated Gulp task that transpiles JSX and JavaScript files.

How to Compile Typescript into a Single File with AMD Modules with Gulp

The lessons I learned and the steps I took to compile TypeScript modules into a single file with AMD modules using Gulp, along with how I consumed those compiled modules in my HTML application.

How to Use Highlight.Js with Bower and Gulp

One of the best libraries I've seen for syntax highlighting on the web is highlight.js, IMHO. The catch to using the library is that it takes a bit more effort to setup than just adding a script tag and being done with it. In this post, I'll walk you through the steps I took to get this up and running with Bower and Gulp.

Mobile First Design Tips

When redesigning my personal website and blog, I started from scratch and attempted to apply a mobile-first design approach. Here are a few tips that I picked up along the way while creating and implementing my new design that might prevent some mistakes on your own sites.

Keeping Your Edge on an Extended Break

A few quick tips on how I kept up-to-date in the professional world while taking a four month hiatus for parental leave _without_ giving up time with my daughter.

Measuring in CSS is Cool

I've been on this CSS kick for the past while, and I had forgotten how much CSS can do now. More specifically how things have changed when it comes to measuring height and width.

Using text-overflow:ellipsis with Inline Flex

Two out of three Dave's hit this obscure CSS problem that turned out to be expected behaviour. David Wesst walks us through the reason why and how to fix it.

JavaScript Framework or JavaScript Core (Part 2)

Is it always better to use JavaScript Frameworks? David continues his analysys and shares the pros and cons of writing your JavaScript from scratch.

JavaScript Framework or JavaScript Core (Part 1)

Is it always better to use JavaScript Frameworks? David analyzes the pros and cons of using JavaScript frameworks versus only using core JavaScript.

Exploring JavaScript Game Frameworks

David reviews a handful of JavaScript-based game frameworks he went through before selecting one for his new game.

Why ChakraCore OSS is Important

It's pretty cool that Microsoft has released the source code of their JavaScript engine Chakra. But, why it is important and how do developers actually benefit from this?

Looking Forward into 2016

DW documents and shares his planning session for 2016 based on what he's learned from 2015.

Highlight Reel for 2015

David Wesst takes a moment to look back at his personal and professional development throughout 2015.

Code - The Visual Studio for Everybody

Code - The Visual Studio for Everybody

Last week I delivered three presentations: one at the Winnipeg .NET User Group and the other two at Winnipeg Code Camp. Being as awesome as we are, the user group presentation was recorded and has been published on the YouTube page.

Inspiration From MVP Summit 2015

My Favourite Online Dev Tools

Using Java Build Script Tasks in Visual Studio Code

Custom Tasks for Java in Visual Studio Code

Capture HTTPS Traffic in Java with Eclipse, and Fiddler

Downgrading Windows Phone 10 Technical Preview - The Lowlights

Western Devs (and MVP) Found My Spirit Animal

Docker on Windows 10 Problems

Running Tomcat Apps on Docker through Eclipse

Considerations When Migrating Your Blog

Why Networking is Critical

With my new gig as an Application Developer, I started back into technology podcasts. I'm not sure how I came across MSDevShow, but I did notice that Lori Lalonde, the wizard of mobile development in Microsoft-land, was in an episode and decided: Why not?.

Conference recap extravaganza!

My Top 5 Sessions Picks - MVP Virtual Conference 2015

Living on the (Microsoft) Edge on May 5 & 6

2015 brought introduced a lot of new stuff in the Microsoft space, including how Windows 10 is changing up the web application game.

MSDevShow...A Dev Podcast Review

I like podcasts. Especially the technical kind, but I find it's challenging to find quality dev podcasts in the sea of options out there. MSDevShow is one that a discovered, and it did not disappoint.

Zany Video Game Quotes - Live and in the Cloud

I've been working on a side project for roughly 5 years now, and this past week I managed to finally launch it. Zany Video Game Quotes, is a site worked on acquired by a very close friend of mine. He worked on the content and enlisted me as the lead developer.

Traf-O-Data and Windows NT on LGR Tech Tales

In recent days, a specific YouTube channel has my caught my attention. It's called Lazy Game Reviews, and last night I came across a great playlist of only four episoded called: LGR Tech Tales where LGR, the host, goes through a specific event in computer history.

Retrospective: The YouTube Experiment

At the beginning of the month I announced I'd be doing a web series on YouTube called Script Unscripted.

NetFront-- the Unknown Browser Everyone Owns

Netfront is a web browser that I hadn't heard of before, but I have installed on six of my devices.

Video Games Preventing Cancer with AGDQ

I wanted to share something I find freaking cool. It's called Awesome Games Done Quickly, or AGDQ.

Make New Habits with New IE VMs in the New Year

Happy New Year! Time to start working on self improvement and developing new habits.

Script Unscripted Starts January 8th

Last week I launched my first YouTube video with Get to the Point.

IE...err...Spartan Makes IGN News

Watching my YouTube based video game news on IGN News, I came across this report that blends the two worlds.

Highlight Reel for 2014

This past year has been a rough one for me personally, but professionally, not so bad.

Get to the Point: My Pilot Video

To close out the year, I'm kicking off a new project that I've wanted to do for a long time now.

Ghost 0.5.X from Source to Azure Websites on Canadian Developer Connection

JavaScript Coding is Gameplay in Screeps

I found this on reddit last week. It's called Screeps and it comes out tomorrow (November 20th).

Think Before You Tweet: A Lesson in Humility

Over the weekend I tripped over brain and sounded like a goof on Twitter while trying to engage a number of technology experts.

Can ASP.NET Become the Next Node.JS?

I realize how crazy that sounds, but after yesterday's keynote from Microsoft at the VS Connect event in New York, I'm wondering if my goal to find a true cross-platform technology is sitting back at base camp just...leveling up.

November 27 - Going Terminal: Learning to be IDE Free

I'm making my public speaking comeback after nearly a full year off with a new original presentation called Going Terminal: Learning to be IDE Free.

Remote IE - No More Testing Excuses

Today the IE team released Remote IE. This is awesome. Let me explain.

SimCity in the Browser...with Source Code

If you haven't played the classic SimCity, I mean Micropolis then you missed out.

Why the Humble Mozilla Bundle is Awesome

Last week, I saw my worlds collide in this Humble Bundle my mind was blown.

Installing Games JavaScript Style

I bought the Humble Mozilla Bundle earlier this week and I wanted to take a moment to show people what it looks like to install a JavaScript game in the browser.

Humble Bundle Games Go JavaScript

Last week, I noticed a playable game on the Firefox start page.

ThatOneVideoGamer Brought To You By: Me

Yep, that's me. It's all me. It's awesome!!!!

What is Bower?

I mentioned Bower last time when talking about npm.

Always Use Node (Even on Non-Node Projects)

That's right. I said it: Always use Node, no matter what! Even if your server isn't going to be a Node server, just have it installed because you'll use it.

Why do you RequireJS?

Get it? RequireJS is a dependency management framework I use in JavaScript to manage...well my dependencies. But, the title is a play on words cause...of course you require JS...cause...JavaScript is required to...

Nintendo Builds Rich HTML5 Experiences

I need to throw a shout out to Nintendo.

Why do you CoffeeScript your JavaScript?

I was asked this the other day: Why don't you just write your code in JavaScript directly? As in, why would you use a langugage that abstracts JavaScript, which doesn't require compiliation?

Why do I JavaScript?

The answer is simple: I don't want to limit about my platform options on day one.

The MVP Network is Awesome

Over the weekend I hit a Windows Azure issue in my side project that totally blocked me. Yesterday, I reached out on Twitter, and the Canadian MVP network picked it up and helped me solve it in 30 minutes.

IE on Reddit - Highlight Reel

To me, this is IamA (I am a something ask me anything) is historic with web platforms.

Whatcha doin' DW?

Lot's of stuff really, but here's the big ones at 50,000 feet.

Hypertext Gaming - Starting June 29th on Twitch

Back to Basics: The Text Editor

End of Support for Windows XP FAQ

Microsoft IE MVP - Year Four

That's right everyone, I've been awarded the the Microsoft MVP award in the area of Internet Explorer again for 2014.

BUILD 2014 Cool Stuff - Day 1

I haven't been to BUILD, but I always follow it as Microsoft makes a bunch of really cool announcements throughout that pump me up.

Answering the question: When will IE support that HTML feature?

Tired of waiting to hear from Microsoft on whether or not IE will support the latest HTML5 feature?

Pro Tip: Office 365 to Simplify Communication

I believe the key to being professional is communication.

DW on Tour

That's right, I'm heading out on a small tour out west in November and December to do some talking about HTML and JavaScript. I suggest you find your way to DevTeach in Vancouver or Saskatoon in November to learn some awesome tricks.

Hover! A Next-Gen HTML Experience

The Heisenberg Second Screen Experience in HTML

Breaking Bad is coming to an end.

HTML Gaming for Core Gamers

This is part of a blog series discussing my afterthought on attending PAX Dev and Prime 2013 in Seattle.

Instant Eyedropper: The Colour Picker Tool I've Been Missing

I came across this today, and I wanted to share it as this is the first time I've found a simple, minimalistic eyedropper tool that allows me to get the HEX value (or another variety of colur value) of any colour that is on my screen.

Picking The Technology for my Game

I want to develop a game, and not just produce it.

The Difference between Apps and Games

No, really. Are they actually that different?

Excited about WebGL because of Grandia II

Last week, I was asking my partner for some advice on what game I should play. This is a regular occurrence for both of us, as we are both video game lovers and tend to lean towards single player games, and only have one television to share between us. Ultimately, we enjoy watching each other play through video games, but want to make sure that the non-player is at least going to enjoy themselves to a certain degree as we go through some kind of virtual adventure over the next few days.

Time for a Real Change

I know I seem to change my blog once a year saying 'this time it's different'. The message this time around isn't different than that, except the change is leading to a completely different direction.

Stop Hating IE and Be a Professional (Part 3)

This post is part three of three. Part 1 (Be a Realist) and Part 2 (Be a Strategist) are already published and available.

Stop Hating IE and Be a Professional (Part 2)

This post is part two of three. Part 1 (Be a Realist) and Part 3 (Be a Leader) are also available.

Stop Hating IE and Be a Professional (Part 1)

This post is part one of three. Part 2 (Be a Strategist) and Part 3 (Be a Leader) are available as well.