From the start of 2015, whenever you sell software, licences, or other digital stuff online direct to a customer in the EU, you have to make a reliable record of where they live and then pay VAT at their country's rate. There is no threshold for minimum value or sale quantity, and it doesn't matter… Continue reading Small software businesses and the 2015 VAT regulations
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Undergraduate programming languages
I read two quite different articles about programming in academia today. I don't know Yossi Kreinin, and when his piece Why bad scientific code beats code following "best practices" appeared on the Hacker News front page, I guessed that I probably wouldn't agree with it. I'm a programmer working in academia who has spent some… Continue reading Undergraduate programming languages
Rules of thumb for functional APIs
I've been trying to get to grips with what makes an API clean and pleasing to use in a functional programming language. (In my case this language has been Yeti, an attractive language that uses the Java virtual machine.) Here are some notes, for my own reference as much as anyone's. Some of this may… Continue reading Rules of thumb for functional APIs
What will Microsoft announce tomorrow?
Speculation abounds. I'm hoping for an Xbox tablet. I'm very sorry.
Wisława Szymborska
The Polish poet Wisława Szymborska died this week. I can't read a word of Polish, but in English translation she was one of my favourite poets. She wrote about large and sometimes terrifying themes using small subjects and a friendly, light ironic touch. She had perspective. It's gratifying that I can always wake up before… Continue reading Wisława Szymborska
The Breakfast Post 