Merge Conflict

James has gone and purchased a Google Home and now thinks he can fully automate his entire house, but can he wrap his developer mind around the new world of IoT in his home and get it all playing together? With so many devices and so many APIs where do you even begin when you want to automate your house and what happens when things don't work as expected? Can Frank help James create the world's sm...

Users and developers are overwhelmed with options to monetize their mobile applications. With so many strategies, how do you know what to pick and what will work for your apps? James recently when through the tough choice between creating a paid app, using in app purchases, or just shoving ads into his latest app. This week we discuss all the options that have worked and what haven't worked in the...

Frank is off to deliver a technical presentation in London and James is here to help with his Tips and Tricks on presenting code. We have a lively discussion about submitting, accepting, and actually delivering the technical presentation including some do's and don'ts. We take a look at IDE setup, slides, topics, fonts, and about a hundred other things to consider when you step up on stage. Sponso...

Nintendo has announced Switch, their new hybrid portable game console. What does this mean for mobile games, what are the opportunities for developers, and where to get started? We take an in depth look and pick apart Nintendo's new console and the current state of mobile gaming accessories. Finally, we attempt to figure out if the mobile industry will ever standardize on a real controller to revo...

Bots are the new conversational user interface that integrates with the most popular apps that we use. This week we discuss where to start, what options are available and what is the future? Whether it is a cross platform bot framework or something specific to Google, Apple, or Amazon hardware there is surely something for everyone. Links & Show Notes Amazon Echo Alexa API Google Assistant Fac...

This week Frank and James stumble into a whole new world of virtual reality with new devices, SDKs, and a whole lot of fun. Virtual Reality is becoming much more interactive with motion tracking devices introduced with the HTC Vive and new controllers coming to Playstation VR, Oculus, and Google VR (Daydream). We take a look at the transformation of the industry and what is next for developers whe...

Let's be honest, no one writes perfect code and those sneaky bugs find their way in. Frank and James take a look at mitigating and managing bugs and how to properly get feedback from their users. What can be added into your application to notify users when bugs are fixed and what can be added to help provide feedback to you when something goes wrong? Let's squash those bugs on this week's Merge Co...

It is new OS season, the best time of year and yet the worst time of year. This week we cover how we survive and preparing for the end of beta summer. We take a look at what steps we take to prepare for the latest releases including when to update machines, update apps, and when is the right time to actually add new features. Links & Show Notes Android N APIs iOS 10 APIs Appveyor Visual Studio...

It is lightning talk week on Merge Conflict as we cover six different development topics in under thirty minutes. Each topic gets just five minutes of back and forth debate before moving on to the next. This week's topics include markdown, asynchronous programming, hardware and software setup, programmer art, and a little bit of science fiction. While Frank and James picked a few of the topics, ma...

Did someone say new Apple hardware? This week we discuss Apple's new phones, watches, accessories, and even a brand new Mario game from Apple's September 7th event. It was also much more then hardware with some exciting announcements around watchOS 3 and iOS 10 going GA this week, which means it is time to make room for a new copy of Xcode on your macOS machine. There was so much packed into this...

The first time users launch your app is the most important time users launch your app. This week we discuss what goes into a great onboarding experience to win over users in just a few seconds. We take an in depth look at why and how some hardware manufacturers are making spectacular setup experiences and what we can learn from them. What should a first run look like and what should we do when we...

Interpreting is Easy, Compiling is Hard, and Linking is even Harder. This week Frank and James investigate what actually happens when you hit that compile button. Frank is a compiler addict and James loves trying to understand how the linker works, but there is so much more to development, compiling, and packaging. Links & Show Notes Roslyn Frank: Twitter , Blog , GitHub James: Twitter , Blog...

Building cross-platform apps sure isn't easy, but code sharing sure helps, but is it worth it? How and when should you share code across a single app and across all apps that you are developing? What to pick? Share projects? Portable class libraries? .NET Standard libraries? This week we investigate the different approaches to sharing code inside of a cross-platform app and how to efficiently shar...

There is a constant influx of notifications from Slack, e-mail, text messages, and news alerts. This week we discuss how to keep productivity high even with all this going on. We cover some of the tips and tricks that we use to stay organized as developers and go a bit further as to not go crazy and not get distracted when working from home. Links & Show Notes Clear Google Keep FogBugz Frank:...

C# and F# and Go! Oh my! There are just so many lovely programming languages to learn, but where to start? This week we take a look at what worked for us and what didn’t. James has recently been trying to wrap his head around F#, a functional programming language, and it just hasn’t stuck yet. Maybe because he uses C# all day, or the change from procedural to functional? We tackle all these topics...

This week Frank & James discuss the importance of a great local experience, server maintenance, and Apple’s amazing CloudKit. We take a look at what it takes to make an application that is cloud connected and what services are available to developers so we don’t have to actually maintain a server. What have we tried, what has worked, what hasn’t, and what we would start with today? Links &...

What happens after that Initial Commit to GitHub? This week on Merge Conflict we discuss how we go about starting new repositories on GitHub. Did you know that the README.md file is the most important file in your repository? We talk about how and what should go into it and what resources there are for learning markdown. Finally, we take a serious look into how to handle Issues and Pull Requests "...

Pokémon Go and its augmented reality pocket monster capturing has taken the world by storm. This week we discuss if AR has finally hit critical mass and general acceptance. Frank and James also debate over what exactly AR is and how the Hololens, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive fit in. What does the future hold for AR? All this and more on this week's Merge Conflict. Links & Show Notes Pokémon Go Fr...

You have spent months or years developing an app, but now you are at that last 5%. Frank & James walk through the last steps before launch day. We take a look at how to prepare for that final submission before launch day including what sort of documentation, website, and support you need to be prepared for. Of course, we can't forget about that ever so important app store artwork, icon, and ma...

Welcome to Merge Conflict, a weekly discussion around all things development, technology, and more. This week we kick things off with an introduction to the Merge Conflict podcast and its hosts Frank Krueger and James Montemagno. Links & Show Notes Frank: Twitter , Blog , GitHub James: Twitter , Blog , GitHub Subscribe iTunes Google Play Music Stitcher Pocket Casts