Case Story: Finazilla - Modern & Advanced Budgeting Solution June 23, 2019
The Finazilla is a Jyväskylä-based (Finland) SaaS company that specializes in advanced budgeting solutions. I had the pleasure to work with them from January 2018 through
React Finland 2019 Recap May 01, 2019
The photo was taken by Kenneth Sutherland. Had to clip one of the organizers (Juho) away from the right edge of the photo, to maintain the
Using Custom Value Types To Protect System From Invalid Data February 17, 2019
There are plenty of resources where you can learn to use right built-in value type, such as decimal when dealing with money. Unfortunately, picking a right
Year 2018 Review from Freelance Web Developer Perspective January 11, 2019
I have written a couple of retrospectives in the previous years and this year is no different. The retrospectives have been from freelancing perspective, but this
Debugging Jest Tests in Visual Studio Code When Using WSL December 06, 2018
In the ideal world, investigating why a test fails should be a trivial task, but sometimes the code that is under testing is not easy to
Case Story: NordSafety - Social Approach To Safety June 08, 2018
In 2017 and also briefly in 2018, I had the pleasure to work with NordSafety. Two projects were successfully executed and, in this article, I will
React Finland 2018 - Workshop Day April 24, 2018
This is just a quick recap of the workshop day (24.4.2018). The next two days will are conference days full of talks. You can
Adopting Prettier Into Existing Project February 25, 2018
Prettier is an opinionated code formatter for different languages (such as JavaScript and TypeScript) and style sheet files. Prettier wasn't the first code formatter, but it
The Windows Subsystem for Linux From Web Developer Perspective February 18, 2018
If a Web developer would make a switch to Windows from Linux or MacOS, the most significant thing they would miss is a proper Unix shell.
Two Key Points To Focus When Learning TypeScript January 19, 2018
I started writing TypeScript at the end of 2015. Since then I have written three medium-sized TypeScript projects. Even though TypeScript is very pleasant to learn
Year 2017 Review from Freelance Web Developer Perspective December 31, 2017
It has been one year since the last review, and it is again time reflect how the year went. The way I approach life is quite
Linting Your TypeScript Project Using TSLint December 07, 2017
Usage of TypeScript's powerful type system decreases specific type of bugs. Linting tools provide additional static code analysis to spot common mistakes and ensure consistency across
Recap of React Helsinki Meetup Talk November 10, 2017
I gave one of the talks on React Helsinki meetup on 8th of November 2017. The title of the talk wasn't very imaginative, but it was
Type System Differences in TypeScript (Structural Type System) VS C# & Java (Nominal Type System) October 15, 2017
When a developer with C# or Java background learns TypeScript, there is a temptation to write TypeScript with the same style as C# or Java. It
Two Easy Ways to Get Started With TypeScript and React September 22, 2017
Setting up a build process for a modern web application can be a tedious process. Knowing your tools is important when you're going to maintain the
What Is the Use of Exclamation Mark Operator in TypeScript? September 08, 2017
You might have seen an exclamation mark after a variable name, for example person!.name. The language feature is called Non-null assertion operator. What is the
React Higher-Order Components (HOC) using TypeScript August 25, 2017
Higher-order components and monad have something in common, both sound esoteric, but at least higher-order component (HOC) is easy to explain. It is a component that
TypeScript - Getting Rid of Error: X is Declared, But Never Used July 28, 2017
The problem If you have set tsconfig setting noUnusedParameters to true, the compiler will give an error when you have defined a function, but you're not
Three Ways to Provide (TypeScript) Type Definitions to Open-Source Libraries July 22, 2017
Even though the library of type definitions is vast, the amount of JavaScript libraries is even greater. Every TypeScript developer will encounter a situation where the
What's New and Shiny In The TypeScript Community (June 2017) June 15, 2017
The TypeScript team and community have done amazing work lately. In this blog post, I'll show some of the new language features, tools, and libraries that
Different Approaches To Modeling Data With TypeScript June 02, 2017
TypeScript is a very well-planned type system that has type inference, structural subtyping, generic types, contextual typing, intersection types, literal types, union types, etc. In this
Type-safe Asynchronous Actions (Redux Thunk) Using TypeScript FSA May 18, 2017
If you haven't read the previous blog post (which describes FSA and the TypeScript FSA library), please read it before continuing. In this article, I cover
Migrating Ghost Blog from PostgreSQL to MySQL May 05, 2017
I have been running my site and blog on Heroku with free PostgreSQL database. Last year, Ghost team announced that they would drop the support of
Refactor Redux Reducers Like a Pro With TypeScript May 04, 2017
TypeScript is a perfect match for React reducers because it has an intelligent type system, making refactoring much easier than it is with plain JavaScript. The
How To Be Productive While Working Remotely From Abroad April 20, 2017
Nearly two years ago, I created a blog post called Working remotely from abroad: One month in Hungary. A year ago, my wife, our dog, and
Type-safe Flux Standard Actions (FSA) in React Using TypeScript FSA March 19, 2017
TypeScript FSA (previously known as Redux TypeScript Actions) is a library that helps you define actions with types and use those actions while enjoying the compiler's
Free and Fast Document Creation and Signing Using Google Docs + Doc Variables + DocHub March 07, 2017
If you are a freelancer or business owner, you probably have contracts that need signing. Each month, I write freelancing agreements and get signatures from the
Practical Guide to React and CSS Modules January 22, 2017
Web developers have spent tremendous time and effort to make reusable components. One of the problems has been CSS and its cascading nature. For example, if
Year 2016 Review from Freelance Web Developer Perspective January 03, 2017
It has been one year since the last review, and it is once again a good time to reflect on the things I liked and disliked
Starting a React project at the end of the year: 2015 VS. 2016 December 10, 2016
About a year ago, team members and I were thinking about an ideal front-end stack to fulfill a client's business requirements. We ended up with a
Being a guest on the Developer on Fire podcast November 24, 2016
I had the pleasure of being a guest on a podcast called Developer on Fire. In each episode, a developer is interviewed, but, unlike many programming
Yarn vs. npm: Installation Time November 02, 2016
Yarn is a client for the npm registry, Node.js ecosystem for the packages. This new client will address performance, reliability, and security-related issues. Before diving
Problem Solved: Custom Checkbox not Working on Edge October 16, 2016
The problem In the current project, I made a custom checkbox. The custom implementation used native control and didn't rely on any JavaScript, but for some
How to Convince People to Contribute to Style Guide Development October 11, 2016
The benefits of creating and maintaining website style guides is so clear that I try to contribute a style guide to new or existing web services
How to Get Most out of Meetups and Conferences September 25, 2016
Photo by Sebastiaan ter Burg, Quantified Self meetup presentation CC BY 2.0 Everyone has a slightly different goal when attending conferences and meetups. An attendee
Afterthoughts on REFRESH 2016, a Conference on Making Great Web Products September 11, 2016
I had the privilege to participate in a REFRESH conference held in Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia. The conference is about creating great web products,
Specialist or Generalist? September 04, 2016
Developers tend to be curious persons, and it is quite common to struggle with the thought that should you narrow down learning to a particular niche.
Find The Cause of A Bug Faster With These 3 Chrome Tips August 24, 2016
I have come to a conclusion that many debugging methods and tools haven't reached a broad audience. Perhaps we consider reading a blog post or watching
Better User-Experience to the Cloud Deployment August 12, 2016
For quite some time, consumer cloud services have been easy to use: users don't need to think about where the files are or how to share
Stop Requiring Job Applicants To Be Passionate August 03, 2016
I read many job ads, both international and Finnish. As a freelancer, I need to be aware of new opportunities and the kinds of expertise companies
Using ESLint as an ES2015 Learning Tool July 26, 2016
I have used various linting tools to keep code consistent across teams. A few weeks back, I started using ESLint with my website and hobby projects.
Benefits of Blogging Regularly For One Year June 30, 2016
When I started freelancing, I knew that I needed to improve my online presence. I created a website and started blogging. The first post was published
It Is Not Just About Having The Right Tool for The Job June 25, 2016
After launching my email list, I received a ton of great questions. Here's one of them: I would be interested in post about technologies / tools / techniques
Seamless Software Development with Ilmari Kontulainen June 16, 2016
Today we have the privilege of hearing the thoughts of Deveo CEO Ilmari Kontulainen. Ilmari has a lot of insights to offer about the software development
I Was Wrong About TypeScript, Here is Why June 05, 2016
When something new is announced, people have a tendency to choose sides. When TypeScript was announced, I wrongfully picked a few key concepts that didn't resonate
Using Ghost Apps to Add Custom Handlebars Helpers To Your Theme May 26, 2016
Ghost blogging platform theming support gives us plenty of built-in blog and post related Handlebars helpers. There are cases where built-in helpers are not enough and
Three HTML Form Related Tips That Make Web Developers Life Easier May 18, 2016
I've recently learned a few things about HTML forms, which are a fundamental part of the web. We web developers spend quite a lot of time
Audiobook and Podcast Recommendations for May 2016 May 04, 2016
I always enjoy hearing recommendations of books, videos, tv shows, etc. Now it is my time to give something back to you! I have almost completely
GraphQL and Relay with Ville Immonen April 26, 2016
Dear readers, I am pleased to introduce you to Ville Immonen, a co-founder of Reindex. Today we will be discussing what Reindex is, the problems it
Using automation and delegation to bring employment advantages to freelancing April 18, 2016
One of the main reasons why many professionals don't want freelance is the number of responsibilities beyond practicing their craft: accounting, marketing, job-seeking, learning (without being
How does HTTPS benefit small sites such as blogs? April 11, 2016
I've never doubted that I should install an SSL/TLS certificate for a web service that I have been building for a client. Any site that
You should write unit tests every day, unless you are too busy; then, you should write them twice as often April 05, 2016
The title of this blog post is an adaptation of an old Zen saying: You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day, unless you're
NPM-Gate: Seeking constructive criticism, finding joke sites and arrogance March 27, 2016
If you haven't heard about so-called NPM-gate, then please read one of the summaries of the topic (Ars Technica, npm blog or Business Insider). As a
Working Remotely, In The Office, or Both? March 22, 2016
During my career, my work environments have varied from an office with a timecard to 100% remote work. Each work environments has its own pros/cons.
Notes on learning Elixir - Part 2 March 08, 2016
Disclaimer: I have been programming for a while, but I am a complete Elixir n00b. These are my unfiltered notes while learning the Elixir language. Official
Online tools and services for Web Developers March 03, 2016
Straight to the point blog post about online tools and services that I use either daily/weekly/monthly basis. Not all of them are about development,
Notes on learning Elixir - Part 1 February 23, 2016
Disclaimer: I have been programming for a while, but I am a complete Elixir n00b. These are my unfiltered notes while learning the Elixir language. Official
Narrowing it down February 17, 2016
A Few days back, I had lunch with a fellow freelancer who I only knew from his work and online presence. Being the first time for
What does ideal project look like? February 07, 2016
A good time to think about what you enjoyed and what you disliked during a project is when the project is ending. If you have the
Thoughts on avoiding Web development fatigue January 29, 2016
There has been a lot of discussion about people getting tired of learning new libraries/frameworks, setting up their tools, choosing technologies, negativity and developers attitude
Anders Evenrud on writing Web desktop platform with JavaScript January 22, 2016
We have seen many libraries and frameworks written in JavaScript, but we rarely see projects like OS.js. I'll let the author, Anders Evenrud, describe the
What's coming on year 2016 on this blog January 16, 2016
I have had a hectic start of the year 2016, and I had to neglect writing for two weeks. It is always a bit burdensome when
Year 2015 retrospect from freelance Web developer perspective January 01, 2016
Once again a year has passed and now it's a good time take little bit time to think what has happened during the year. Listing the
Immutable.js practical guide December 27, 2015
In this blog post, I'll try to give a brief, practical and easy to understand introduction to Immutable.js library. Why should you use it, a
Don't make learning React more difficult than it is December 18, 2015
React itself has a quite small API surface to learn, and in theory, it should be easy to grasp. Unfortunately, the learning resources are making things
Podcast & Audiobook Tips for the Curious Minds (November 2015) December 03, 2015
You're reading a monthly blog post with a listening suggestions. I listen to plenty of podcasts and thought people might be interested when I find interesting
How to keep a distraction free working environment November 27, 2015
Let's face it, most of the offices aren't great for work that requires focus. Office workers are bombarded with interruptions and distractions. Colleagues are (rightfully) asking
Working remotely from abroad: One month in Hungary November 21, 2015
I had been working remotely on several projects, but it was my first time working from abroad. My homeland is Finland and this time we went
Better React linting by switching from JSHint to ESLint November 12, 2015
JSHint - the JavaScript Code Quality Tool, as they call it, has served me well for past year. I enjoyed Sublime integration via SublimeLinter plugin, and
Modern hiring process and how to be part of the game November 06, 2015
On October, I gave a talk at Budapest Node.js to raise some discussion about how software developers get hired. The talk had a little bit
Podcast & Audiobook Tips for the Curious Minds (October 2015) October 30, 2015
You're reading a monthly blog post with a listening suggestions. I listen to plenty of podcasts and thought people might be interested when I find interesting
Node.js Budapest - October 2015 October 28, 2015
I was privileged of having an opportunity to keep a talk at Node.js Budapest meetup. I found that the Node.js community is very active
Exploring the ideas of the book "The 4-Hour Workweek" October 23, 2015
By working faithfully eight hours a day you may eventually get to be a boss and work twelve hours a day. -Robert Frost I had been
How to get into a habit of publishing one blog post per week October 16, 2015
Once a week I press Publish, and I haven't had any exceptions. I have been writing this blog fairly short time (since the beginning of this
Migrating medium-sized project to Node 4 October 11, 2015
With all the confusion with io.js has been settled, and epic merge has been done, it's time to upgrade your current project. To bring a
Podcast & Audiobook Tips for the Curious Minds (September 2015) October 02, 2015
You're reading a monthly blog post with a listening suggestions. I listen to plenty of podcasts and thought people might be interested when I find interesting
Two easy methods for cloning a MongoDB database in a cloud environment September 25, 2015
I have been using Compose.io to host my MongoDB database and quite often I need to test migration scripts against a clone of a database.
Why new employees are hired? September 18, 2015
Getting hired is a problem that many of us face at some point in our career. There are plenty of articles and discussions that focus on
NPM network and proxy related error September 11, 2015
There is a network related error that I stumble upon quite often. The weird thing is that this occurs in a non-corporate networks such as my
How to select a client September 05, 2015
As a freelancer or owner of an agency one of the biggest decision on a weekly or monthly basis is who do you want to work
Podcast & audiobook tips for the curious minds (August 2015) August 27, 2015
You're reading a monthly blog post with a listening suggestions. I listen to plenty of podcasts and thought people might be interested when I find interesting
Set up working Node addons (node-gyp) environment on Windows August 23, 2015
Starting to develop Node applications on Windows is much easier than it used to be. Most of the problems I encounter these days are related to
How misspelling in Colin McRae Rally 2.0 ruined my day August 15, 2015
I am far from being a petrol head, and even virtual driving doesn't resonate much. Colin McRae Rally 2.0 for PlayStation was an exception. Schoolmates
npm 3 will bring brighter future for Windows users August 07, 2015
Around 40% of the npm users are using Windows. It is a big chunk but unfortunately, there has been long-running Windows specific issues that have caused
Running your Ghost blog and Express app on Heroku July 30, 2015
Running a Ghost blog as part of a website is a quite common scenario, and I was surprised when I encountered a problem when deploying to
How to use Compose.io API to dynamically create databases using NodeJS July 28, 2015
The project I'm working on has a database per client architecture. The database is created when a client registers to the service. In the first phase,
Avoiding unnecessary Gulp plugins July 16, 2015
There are many cases where Gulp plugins are not necessary and can cause more problems than real benefits. Let's take gulp-kss as an example. It is
Purchasing services for client work July 10, 2015
We (digital services providers) use a lot of different kind subscription based services in our work. Managing service subscriptions, licenses and domains is still an unsolved
Design is not a democracy June 30, 2015
The consulting company X had decided that they need to update their brand as it was out-of-date and gave misleading impression about the company. The former
Add lesser-known lodash gems to your toolbox - Objects June 24, 2015
This is a part two of lodash series. Strings Objects Removing falsey values from object I asked from the community to share some lodash/underscore tips
4-day work week - Lessons learned June 19, 2015
It's been 1.5 years of freelancing and 4-day work weeks (30h / week). The original plan was to use the fifth day for non-billable work such
Add lesser-known lodash gems to your toolbox - Strings June 04, 2015
This is a part one of lodash series. Strings Objects lodash has a lot of hidden gems and by using them you can avoid copy-pasting untested
Self-publishing AngularJS book - Q&A with author Tero Parviainen May 26, 2015
What things you should consider when planning to self-publish a tech book? How to validate is there enough interest for the topic? Very inspiring discussion with
Q&A with RiotJS author Tero Piirainen May 20, 2015
I had a pleasure to have a lunch with Mr. Tero Piirainen JavaScript expert extraordinaire. He has written popular JavaScript libraries such as RiotJS, HeadJS and
What does it cost to be a Freelancer? See real-world example May 15, 2015
Last year was my first full year as a freelancer. In this post I'm going to share with you what kind of costs I had during
Self-deception habits of the Software Developer May 08, 2015
Self-deception is a process of denying or rationalizing away the relevance, significance, or importance of opposing evidence and logical argument. Once in a cafe I was
Podcasts for Web developers, designers and curious minds May 02, 2015
The Web development and it's tools, libraries and best practices are constantly evolving and keeping yourself up-to-date is sometimes difficult. What I like to do is
Programmatically adding DNS entries to DNSimple using Node April 24, 2015
We had a case where each customer would get their own sub-domain. Let's say Nokia would be one of the clients. They would get nokia.ourapp.
Getting rid of "Terminate batch job Y/N" while developing Node application on Windows April 17, 2015
When you close Node application on Windows with Ctrl + C. You get a "Terminate batch job Y/N" question. The annoying part is that it doesn't
How node package deprecation works April 10, 2015
You have probably encountered a warning message saying: "npm WARN deprecated packageX: Use packageY instead, see {link to the repository/web-site}". This warning is displayed because