2010 7th December

Slightly cramped this month because we had to share the space with an <raises_eyebrow>improvisational comedy group</raises_eyebrow>.

Stuff we talked about (numbers are the votes that the topic got):

10 Server side Javascript. The future of web development? (node.js)
We also discussed Unit Test using (jUnit) and the use of (jLint) for code analysis

9 C#5 Thoughts
There's a great series of posts by Eric Lippert here on the new async features.

8 Alternative web frameworks? Nancy, Manos, Nina.

9 Why NoSQL?

7 Building objects with context. How do you protect your constructors?

7 Outsourcing to India/China - pros and cons?

7 What will you be doing in five years time?
This was very interesting. Almost no one wanted to be working as an employee in 5 years time. Contracting is seen as a better alternative in most cases, but the real geek dream seems to be to run your own product company.

Stuff we didn't have time for:

7 NuGet - anyone used it / alternatives?

6 How do you structure large scale Javascript applications? / Are there alternatives to Javascript on the browser?

6 Method parameter validation - what do you use? Code contracts? Validation library? Other?

4 "My friend is starting a business and wants a simple website he can content manage himself." What's the simplest / quickest / cheapest way to do this?

3 How well do you know your DB platform?

2 Is Google Wave useful?