Category: robot

After more than a little hassle, my colleagues and I have a Kotlin shell that we can pass around. Today, for fun, I'm going to try to write some tests and code.

There is a sticky note on my desk needing attention. Let's attend to it. I have a small concern. Also: smaller steps pay off.

I wonder why I'm doing what I'm doing. Meanwhile, requirements changes to the robot's radar result in some design issues.

I've decided to deviate from the spec to make my work with this example more interesting (to me). I anticipate no real difficulty with this extensive set of changes.

Today I have to find a way to do it right ... and light. How little can I do while still improving the code?

I think we need to improve the map display a bit. We'll spike, and that's going to prove a point that I made yesterday, I hope. Or disprove, in which case we can laugh at me hahaha.

My Customer (me) wants the radar screen rotated to forward = up. The developers (me) are happy to oblige. P.S. Came back later for the thrilling conclusion.

Maybe we need a bit of console display. And I'm sure we'll find some code to improve. Foraging, basically.

Let's not allow movement into obstacles, and maybe penalize moving into pits.

I found a little something. And some other somethings.

I have an idea for something that might be better. But that's not my reason for being here. (And should all ojbects be written for their own convenience? Yes, and ...)

Let's slide in the remaining callbacks, and see what else we can see before brekkers.

My Inner Eddie says we may be in big trouble. Let's find out. ClickBait: Absurd claim at the end.

Let's see if we can get the new connection object to run as if it were on a thread, even though we don't have threads. That should be amusing.

More on TCP/IP. A realization that might have come sooner, but today's OK too.

I've been trying for days to get a decent TCP/IP socket connection working on the iPad, apparently for my sins. So far, I've failed miserably. Today, Saturday, another try.

More on server code. I have an idea. Should I try it? Answer: no.

I think we have only one hard problem remaining. Let's see what we can do about that. MORAL: Don't be like Ron's brother's brother.

Well, I don't know. A bit more on motion. Maybe a start on scan/look? Oh and a better look for the robot?

Let's turn around and go backward, and see whether we begin to see some improvements to how we do these things. RELEARNING: I need smaller steps.

More on Request-Response. Maybe some little objects?

Moving toward standard request-response. Seems about time. But Never would be better. ALSO: A very brief introduction to industry standards of completeness.

I've made a mistake. Or I'm about to make one. Or both. Certainly not neither.

Today we work further toward accommodating the 'spec'. I think we'll focus on the robot status. I think I may rediscover why something is a good idea.

We need to make the robot-world communication a bit more like the spec, and a bit more like client-server. Then we can make more progress. ERRATUM Near the end.

More on the JSON connection. I think I see something symmetric, if not actually easy.

The spec requires us to communicate using JSON. It's time to get started with that. As I type this I wonder something ...

TCP. I think I know what I did wrong yesterday. If I can make this work, it'll help me TDD the server's main loop. Bonus: Kitty!

Let's try more than one connection. Do I need coroutines? Let's try without. LEARNING: I seem not to be able to have multiple connections within this one program.

I'm spiking TCP. Not writing the article as I go. Instead, I'll record bits of progress and what I may have learned.

OK, sockets. At least for a little while. And a conversation with myself. No, I'm OK, really. And thanks to Dave1707.

Let's start by talking about design. Software design. I definitely don't know anything about any other kinds. Interesting thoughts interwoven with vague mumblings.

Let's review some code.

Try again. Fail again. Fail better. Been down so long, it looks like up to me. Summary: Much better.

Let's see about helping the robot understand the new 'look' tables. I feel sure that I'm going to want an object up in this thing. The outcome may surprise you.

Today's demo day. We're good to go, but I think we can do better. Anyway, gotta do somethin'. Anti-Spoiler: I decide not to spoil the code for the sake of maybe a feature.

Rotation Matrices? Why not, might be better. Let's spike. Warning, this is gonna get a tiny bit mathematical.

Awakened by a strong rainstorm, I decided to get up and watch it. I'll code a bit while I do. I'll try to think before, during, and after coding.

So many good ideas. But we need to ship it. We'll talk about that—and get ready to do it! UPDATE: Walking skeleton works!

I think we're ready to draw something. How can we make the drawing more testable? I have a p-baked idea, for small p.

First we do a Lens. Then an amazingly smooth, very long, step by step refactoring. I'm proud of this one!

I have a bit more time and an urge to do some code improvement. Let's see what we can do to make all this a bit easier.

A bit of musing about the world, a bit of planning, a bit of coding. It's Sunday, so this will probably be short.

Working toward a 'walking skeleton'. I think I know what I'd like it to be.

What do skeletons have to do with robots? Could there be more than one skeleton?

Day 2. I did watch a couple of GeePaw's videos. Good news. Thinking ensues. Concerned about Knowledge.

Tuesday night's Friday Night Coding Zoom has hooked me. This is the beginning of the result of that hook.