The Legit Baines Blog

 Is It Time to Move On From VS Code? VS code VS Pycharm/ For the past few years, Visual Studio Code has been my primary development environment. Like many developers, I appreciated its flexibility, extensive plugin ecosystem, and the fact that it could be adapted to almost any programming language or workflow. However, after one of the recent updates, I found myself spending more time fighting with the IDE than actually writing code. What was once a lightweight and straightforward editor now felt increasingly cluttered and distracting.     The biggest issue for me wasn't that new features had been added. Software evolves, and that's a good thing. The problem was that VS Code seemed to be constantly trying to anticipate what I wanted to do before I'd even clicked on anything. Panels would appear, suggestions would pop up, AI features would offer advice, and various automated tools would spring into action. While some developers may find this helpful, I found it disr...

Why Giving Advice Is Easier Than Doing the Work (Especially in IoT and Embedded Systems) ☝☝☝☝ It’s something I’ve become increasingly aware of while working on technical projects: giving advice is often far easier than actually doing the work. On the surface, a suggestion can sound simple, logical, and even obvious. But once you’re the person responsible for implementing it, the reality quickly becomes more complicated. This gap between theory and practice is something every developer eventually encounters, and it’s particularly noticeable in hands-on fields like IoT and embedded systems . When someone isn’t directly involved in a project, they don’t carry the same constraints. They’re not dealing with the specific hardware limitations, firmware quirks, time pressures, or integration challenges that define the day-to-day reality of the work. As a result, their advice can be well-intentioned but disconnected from what is actually achievable. It’s easy to recommend a clean solution whe...

  My Journey of Learning C++ with LearnCPP.com  💪💪💪 As someone who's always been curious about programming, I decided it was finally time to dive into learning C++. It's a powerful language used in everything from game development to system programming , and I wanted to broaden my skill set. After some research, I stumbled upon LearnCPP.com , a website that seemed like the perfect place to get started. It’s a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to mastering C++, and it has become my go-to resource as I venture into this new programming language. What I love most about LearnCPP.com is how well-structured the tutorials are. The site breaks down each concept in a way that’s easy to understand, even for someone like me who's just starting out. It begins with the basics, things like variables, data types, and loops, gradually moves into more advanced topics like memory management , object-oriented programming , and multi-threading . Each section is designed to build on the pre...

  My Multi-project Method I have developed a method for dealing with procrastination and I have named it “My Multi-project Method”.   🕐🕑🕒🕓🕔🕕🕖🕗🕘🕙🕚 I procrastinate on a project by working on a different project.  I will always do what needs to be done in time but if I’m leaving a task to the last possible moment then I may as make that time productive by working on one of my other projects.  If I’m avoiding my emails I’ll procrastinate on that task by updating my CV.  Whenever I’m working on my githubpages.io site I’ll make progress for a while before I hit a wall so instead of doing no work at all I’ll step back from that project to work on one of my Python based projects instead.  Sometimes stepping back from a project for a few days or even a week can give me a better perspective on it when I get back into working on it. 📤📥📤📥📠📟📡💾💽💻💻💻💻💻💻 My current projects include: Working with PostgreSQL Databases. My Python based imperial u...

 Introduction When we think of great programmers, we often picture long nights of coding, complex algorithms, and coffee-fueled problem-solving. But what truly separates the most productive programmers from the rest isn’t just skill — it’s discipline. One of the most effective habits they cultivate is the practice of deliberate time blocking — a focused approach to managing work sessions and avoiding the chaos of constant context switching.  ☝ The Power of Time Blocking Time blocking involves setting aside specific chunks of time dedicated to deep, uninterrupted coding. During these blocks, programmers silence notifications, close unrelated tabs, and focus solely on the task at hand. This technique helps them enter a state of “flow” — that powerful zone where creativity, logic, and problem-solving converge effortlessly. Instead of scattering attention across multiple tasks, productive programmers give their full cognitive energy to one priority.  ☝ Protecting Focus i...