To baby devs and lurkers on Windows: there's a brand new guide! well almost brand new...

[ninetydegrees]

If you didn't know about it there's a guide for Windows users on the Wiki. I've been updating it for a while and I think it covers all the essentials now (suggestions and constructive criticism are always welcome, though!). I hope it can help you switch to the new system or become a contributor.

If you have questions I will happily try and answer them in the comments or via PMs. If you'd prefer some real-time help, there are some very fine on the #dreamwidth-dev IRC channel willing to provide it.

P.S. Secret message to people who are on Windows and would like to be baby devs but need some handholding to come out of lurking land: you're not alone and there's no shame in needing handholding. I did and still do all the time. Also programming isn't necessarily hard or complicated or scary. Sometimes it's just finding the correct file and changing one little line (and you'd know which one because you know how to read).

P.P.S. Super secret message to Fey and Fu: <33333333333333

On reusing/tweaking code in a language you don't know

[aedifica]

Hi all! This isn't directly about Dreamwidth development, but I was encouraged to post it here because it's an example of how one might approach a problem in a strange language.

( Long post got loooong )

TL;DR: If you know a very little bit about programming languages, you know English, and you have Google (or your search engine of choice), you may be able to tweak some existing code to do what you want. Hooray! Also, COMMENT YOUR CODE! The life you save may be your own! And so forth. :-D