undefined local variable or method `remote_gemspecs'

I decided I wanted to dedicate some time this weekend working on some side projects. Of course before I start, I needed to get the latest and greatest updates so I ran gem update and got the following error 
theo@theo~/dev $ sudo gem update
Updating installed gems
...
Updating rubygems-update
Successfully installed rubygems-update-1.3.1
ERROR:  While executing gem ... (NameError)
    undefined local variable or method `remote_gemspecs' for #
Reading the release notes:
NOTE: RubyGems 1.1 and 1.2 have problems upgrading when there is no rubygems-update installed. You will need to follow the second set of update instructions if you see "Nothing to update".
shows that we need to install and run the rubygem-update gem to get this fixed 
theo@theo~/dev $ sudo gem install rubygems-update
Successfully installed rubygems-update-1.3.1
1 gem installed
  theo@theo~/dev $ sudo update_rubygems 
Installing RubyGems 1.3.1
mkdir -p /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8
mkdir -p /System/Library/Frameworks/Ruby.framework/Versions/1.8/usr/bin
install -c -m 0644 rbconfig/datadir.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rbconfig/datadir.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/builder.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/builder.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/command_manager.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/command_manager.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/commands/build_command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/commands/build_command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/commands/cert_command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/commands/cert_command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/commands/check_command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/commands/check_command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/commands/cleanup_command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/commands/cleanup_command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/commands/contents_command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/commands/contents_command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/commands/dependency_command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/commands/dependency_command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/commands/environment_command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/commands/environment_command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/commands/fetch_command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/commands/fetch_command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/commands/generate_index_command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/commands/generate_index_command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/commands/help_command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/commands/help_command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/commands/install_command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/commands/install_command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/commands/list_command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/commands/list_command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/commands/lock_command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/commands/lock_command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/commands/mirror_command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/commands/mirror_command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/commands/outdated_command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/commands/outdated_command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/commands/pristine_command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/commands/pristine_command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/commands/query_command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/commands/query_command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/commands/rdoc_command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/commands/rdoc_command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/commands/search_command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/commands/search_command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/commands/server_command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/commands/server_command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/commands/sources_command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/commands/sources_command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/commands/specification_command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/commands/specification_command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/commands/stale_command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/commands/stale_command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/commands/uninstall_command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/commands/uninstall_command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/commands/unpack_command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/commands/unpack_command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/commands/update_command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/commands/update_command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/commands/which_command.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/commands/which_command.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/config_file.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/config_file.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/custom_require.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/custom_require.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/defaults.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/defaults.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/dependency.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/dependency.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/dependency_installer.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/dependency_installer.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/dependency_list.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/dependency_list.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/digest/digest_adapter.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/digest/digest_adapter.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/digest/md5.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/digest/md5.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/digest/sha1.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/digest/sha1.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/digest/sha2.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/digest/sha2.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/doc_manager.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/doc_manager.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/exceptions.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/exceptions.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/ext/builder.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/ext/builder.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/ext/configure_builder.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/ext/configure_builder.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/ext/ext_conf_builder.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/ext/ext_conf_builder.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/ext/rake_builder.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/ext/rake_builder.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/ext.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/ext.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/format.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/format.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/gem_openssl.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/gem_openssl.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/gem_path_searcher.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/gem_path_searcher.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/gem_runner.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/gem_runner.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/indexer.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/indexer.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/install_update_options.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/install_update_options.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/installer.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/installer.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/local_remote_options.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/local_remote_options.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/old_format.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/old_format.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/package/f_sync_dir.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/package/f_sync_dir.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/package/tar_header.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/package/tar_header.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/package/tar_input.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/package/tar_input.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/package/tar_output.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/package/tar_output.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/package/tar_reader/entry.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/package/tar_reader/entry.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/package/tar_reader.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/package/tar_reader.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/package/tar_writer.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/package/tar_writer.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/package.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/package.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/platform.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/platform.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/remote_fetcher.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/remote_fetcher.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/require_paths_builder.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/require_paths_builder.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/requirement.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/requirement.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/rubygems_version.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/rubygems_version.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/security.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/security.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/server.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/server.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/source_index.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/source_index.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/source_info_cache.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/source_info_cache.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/source_info_cache_entry.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/source_info_cache_entry.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/spec_fetcher.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/spec_fetcher.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/specification.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/specification.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/test_utilities.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/test_utilities.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/timer.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/timer.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/uninstaller.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/uninstaller.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/user_interaction.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/user_interaction.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/validator.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/validator.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/version.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/version.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems/version_option.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems/version_option.rb
install -c -m 0644 rubygems.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/rubygems.rb
install -c -m 0644 ubygems.rb /Library/Ruby/Site/1.8/ubygems.rb
cp gem /tmp/gem
install -c -m 0755 /tmp/gem /System/Library/Frameworks/Ruby.framework/Versions/1.8/usr/bin/gem
rm /tmp/gem
rm -f /Users/theo/.gem/source_cache
rm -f /Library/Ruby/Gems/1.8/source_cache
Removing old RubyGems RDoc and ri
rm -rf /Library/Ruby/Gems/1.8/doc/rubygems-1.2.0
Installing rubygems-1.3.1 ri into /Library/Ruby/Gems/1.8/doc/rubygems-1.3.1/ri
Installing rubygems-1.3.1 rdoc into /Library/Ruby/Gems/1.8/doc/rubygems-1.3.1/rdoc

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

= Announce: RubyGems Release 1.3.0

NOTE:  RubyGems 1.1 and 1.2 have problems upgrading when there is no
rubygems-update installed.  You will need to follow the second set of update
instructions if you see "Nothing to update".

Release 1.3.0 fixes some bugs.

Bugs fixed:

* Disregard ownership of ~ under Windows while creating ~/.gem.  Fixes
  issues related to no uid support under Windows.
* Fix requires for Gem::inflate, Gem::deflate, etc.
* Make Gem.dir respect :gemhome value from config.  (Note: this feature may be
  removed since it is hard to implement on 1.9.)
* Kernel methods are now private.  Patch #20801 by Stefan Rusterholz.
* Gem::location_of_caller now behaves on Windows.  Patch by Daniel Berger.
* Silence PATH warning.

Deprecation Notices:

* Gem::manage_gems will be removed on or after March 2009.

For a full list of changes to RubyGems and the contributor for each change, see
the ChangeLog file.

Special thanks to Chad Wooley for backwards compatibility testing and Luis
Lavena for continuing windows support.

== How can I get RubyGems?

NOTE:  If you have installed RubyGems using a package system you may want to
install a new RubyGems through the same packaging system.

If you have a recent version of RubyGems (0.8.5 or later), then all
you need to do is:

  $ gem update --system   (you might need to be admin/root)

NOTE:  RubyGems 1.1 and 1.2 have problems upgrading when there is no
rubygems-update installed.  You will need to follow the second set of update
instructions if you see "Nothing to update".

NOTE: You may have to run the command twice if you have any previosly
installed rubygems-update gems.

If you have an older version of RubyGems installed, then you can still
do it in two steps:

  $ gem install rubygems-update  (again, might need to be admin/root)
  $ update_rubygems              (... here too)

If you don't have any gems install, there is still the pre-gem
approach to getting software ... doing it manually:

1. DOWNLOAD FROM: http://rubyforge.org/frs/?group_id=126
2. UNPACK INTO A DIRECTORY AND CD THERE
3. INSTALL WITH:  ruby setup.rb  (you may need admin/root privilege)

== To File Bugs

The RubyGems bug tracker can be found on RubyForge at:
http://rubyforge.org/tracker/?func=add&group_id=126&atid=575

When filing a bug, `gem env` output will be helpful in diagnosing the issue.

If you find a bug where RubyGems crashes, please provide debug output. You can
do that with `gem --debug the_command`.

== Thanks

Keep those gems coming!

-- Jim & Chad & Eric (for the RubyGems team)


------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RubyGems installed the following executables:
        /System/Library/Frameworks/Ruby.framework/Versions/1.8/usr/bin/gem

If `gem` was installed by a previous RubyGems installation, you may need
to remove it by hand.

Pair Programming > Code Reviews

With the rise in popularity of agile software methodologies, the practice of formal code reviews has been often put against pair programming.  There are proponents for both and some even recommend practicing both.

As time goes on, I've been able to do a little bit of both and I've developed a strong preference for pair programming over code reviews.

With code reviews, you get one or more other persons to review the code you just wrote and feel ready is to be checked in, deployed, or whatever the next step is.  These reviews can be very formal or just as simple as a line-by-line walk through the code.  The goal is to find any bugs or fixes before the code gets to the next step.  This is very analogous to the writer/editor/publisher workflow (kind of like this blog entry).  Writer writes the article, editor proofreads, and the article gets published.  Programmer writes the code, other developers review the code, and the code gets deployed.  It almost seems like the idea of code reviews came out of software methodologies like the Waterfall model.  Everything is very sequential and done in distinct stages.

In pair programming, the focus is on developing "good" code the first time around.  We do this by having more than one pair of eyes on the working code as it is being written.  One person is the "driver" who is writing the code and the other is the guide or observer who is verifying the code being written and thinking of potential improvements. The developers switch roles whenever it makes sense which in many cases causes one developer to immediate use or have to work with the code that was written by their partner. It places emphasis on the idea that two heads are better than one.

Two things come to my mind when I think about pair programming and code reviews. First, code reviews seem to be a just-in-the-nick-of-time fix for finding bugs in code before it goes out the door.  The initial development effort as already been completed and now we are evaluating the work.  And realistic, this is code we're looking at. Everyone has their opinion as how things should be structured, design philosophies, coding styles, etc.  Many times code review sessions end up focusing on higher level concepts like those previously listed and not on the code itself. These kind of debates are related to decisions that should have been made prior to writing this code.  Why are we asking ourselves why we did this this way now after we've already spent time and effort to write code for it? And the people part of the code review are not neccessarily the people that will be working with that piece of code.

That brings me to my second thought which is this is all reminiscent of Scrum pigs and chickens.

In code reviews, people sit down to review someone's code.  Everyone has an opinion but not everyone is going to be working with the code on a daily basis. At the time, everyone seems to be involved in the process but there is no vested interest. They are just looking at some code and asking themselves "does this code look good and is it correct?".  It's a very passive standpoint. On the other hand, pair programmers are completely invested (committed?) in the task at hand.  They immediately are using the code they are writing together and collobarating their thoughts on design, code layout, etc. Both programmers are taking on an active role and are emotionally invested in the task at hand because they are attacking the same problem together. Most of the cons of pair programming can be attributed to developer social/ego issues. And they are not specific to pair programming. Going down the list of drawbacks listed on Wikipedia:
  • Developer egos: Experienced developers may find it tedious to tutor a less experienced developer in a paired environment.
  • Developer intimidation: A less experienced developer may feel intimidated pairing with a more experienced developer which may result in less participation.
  • Developer work preference: Some engineers prefer to work alone, and may find the paired environment cumbersome.
  • Tutoring cost: Experienced developers working alone may be capable of producing code that is clean and accurate at the outset, and the additional theoretical gain from pairing might not be worth the cost of an additional developer. This is especially true when producing more trivial parts of the system.
  • Potential conflict: Differences in coding style may result in conflict, and personality conflicts can result in one or both developers feeling awkward or uncomfortable.
  • Chat sessions: Sometimes employees might talk together too much, straying excessively into off-topic subjects, such as major news events, personal problems, etc.
  • Annoying personal habits: Sometimes people can find each other much more annoying when working up close than at separate workstations.
Developer egos, intimidation, work preference, and tutoring costs are things that should be checked at the door. As an experience developer, you should look for opportunities to help your fellow developers to learn and improve their skills. As a more junior developer, the opportunity to take chances and try to prove yourself is one of the best ways to learn and develop better skills. I don't know about other people but collaborative work environments seem to be a plus. Being able to discuss your ideas openly is one of the best ways to make what you're building better than it is. As for potential conflicts, chat sessions, and annoying personal habits, these have more to do with personalities and mannerism in the work place. All of this can happen in code reviews as well but the point is being self-aware and respectful of your coworkers is just as important as writing awesome code. While I'm not against code reviews, I feel that pair programming is better suited to improve both code and team quality.

Eclipse Ganymede + Subclipse = Unable to load default SVN client???

I like Shiny New Things. So when I heard Eclipse Ganymede SR1 was available, I proceeded to replace the Stream Stable Build I was currently running. This, of course, ended up causing me problems. After installing Subclipse and attempting to pull up any SVN history, I get an error dialog box that states: "Unable to load default SVN client" Confused, I RTFM and saw that "Subclipse 1.4.x requires Subversion 1.5.0 version of JavaHL/SVNKit" Seeing the SVN I was running was in fact not 1.5, 
theo@notedpath~ $ svn --version
svn, version 1.4.4 (r25188)
   compiled Nov 25 2007, 08:20:33
I went here, downloaded and installed Subversion 1.5, restarted Eclipse and things are looking good now. Stupid shiny new things.

Surprise your users

With the launch of Chrome today, the net is all the buzz around how great Chrome is/can be.  But this isn't yet another post about chrome. This is about me wanting to track the flight status of my parent's airline that just came in from Cali.  Of course I could go to the American Airlines website, which by the way is at aa.com, but that seemed like a lot of work when Google is my default homepage. So I thought I would just type in the flight information and hope Google would give me a direct link to the flight status page.

Google's response surprised me with the following:

Wow.  Thanks, Google!

gem update fails - can't find header files for ruby

So, Pat got a new MacBook Pro.  Little does she know, I've start to install programs that I would use if I just so happened to be on her computer.  The laptop already had Leopard installed and all of its goodies but a bit of upgrading was called for. So, of course I had run gem update. 
pats-macbook-pro:~ pat$ sudo gem update

Updating installed gems

Updating RedCloth

Building native extensions.  This could take a while...

ERROR:  While executing gem ... (Gem::Installer::ExtensionBuildError)

    ERROR: Failed to build gem native extension./System/Library/Frameworks/Ruby.framework/Versions/1.8/usr/bin/ruby extconf.rb update

can't find header files for ruby.

Gem files will remain installed in /Library/Ruby/Gems/1.8/gems/RedCloth-4.0.3 for inspection.

Results logged to /Library/Ruby/Gems/1.8/gems/RedCloth-4.0.3/ext/redcloth_scan/gem_make.out
But then I ran into a strange error I had never seen before.  gem update would fail when trying to build native extension. It's been awhile since I setup a rails development environment so a-googlin' I went. Turns out the ruby headers don't come installed with the base ruby install with Mac OS X. These can been found on Mac OS X Install Disc 2 by installing the XCode Tools. Once installed, all was well!

To be more educated or not?

...That is, more educated in the formal sense.  I think nothing can replace real world experience.  However, one of the questions that have been on my mind for the past year or so is if I should be going back to school.  I'm 24 and I got a couple of years of work experience under my belt.  I recently got engaged.  If there was ever a time to go back to school, now seems like as good of a time as any. If I decided to go back to get more education, should I go for a Masters of Science or an MBA?  In the industry I'm in, I find that a Masters in Computer Science or Engineering is not really rewarding as it was for my dad's generation from a career perspective.  Today's smart IT employers focus on what you've done, created, or built more than what you have studied in a classroom or years of work experience (which I think is great). I think if I go back to school for a Masters, my reasons for going would be to surround myself with smart hackers and really dig deep into exciting research. I strongly believe that to get the most out of Masters program, you need to be there for the right reasons. Go back to school to learn more, not to get ahead in a career. On the other hand, an MBA seems much more of a career booster and would give me the businessy-types of skills that I haven't been formally trained with.  The part about this that doesn't excite me is all the finance and accounting kinda courses that I don't seem myself really leveraging in my career path.  That side of things doesn't really get me excited. Plus, all of my friends that are taking MBA courses say that it's nothing special. It's just going to be another thing you put on your resume.  Which might not be such a bad thing, but for me it doesn't seem to make sense right now to pursue that avenue. I would love to hear from people on their reasons for choosing to pursue higher education or choosing not to or choosing to postpone it until further notice. As for me, I think I'll postpone until further notice. There's so much more for me to learn through real work experience and my natural curiosity of emerging technologies.

Run Firefox 2 and Firefox 3

Gah, why would you want to run both? Well, Firebug is the suck in Firefox 3. I've been doing a lot of javascript/ajax development lately. When using Firefox 3 and the Firebug console, I get the following error occasionally: 
commandLine.evaluate FAILS: [Exception... "Security Manager vetoed action" nsresult: "0x80570027 (NS_ERROR_XPC_SECURITY_MANAGER_VETO)" location: "JS frame :: chrome://firebug/content/commandLine.js ::  :: line 100" data: no]
Lifehacker had a nice post on how to run Firefox 2 and 3. For most cases Firefox 3 is just fine. But for the serious javascript coder, Firebug just isn't ready for prime time in Firefox 3.

Officially Engaged

On June 19, 2008, I became officially engaged according to Facebook.

But the actual date was June 18, 2008.  I love you, Pat. Can't wait for what's next, baby.

I'll post some details soon...