Using the right tools for the right job

Over the summer I tried to get fitter. I started to walk through the dunes, do Tabata workouts at home and at the sports club. And I started to cycle.

Short distances at first, but I started to go further and soon realised that my city bike wasn't suitable for something longer distance. It took effort just to use it. Going less than 10KM it wasn't so bad, slower than I would like, and more effort, but it was great for shopping and errands locally.

Now I'm cycling through dunes and long distances and those little issues became big ones. I'm glad I had the bike to use, but if I was going to be serious about building up the distance, then I needed to be serious about the bike as well.

I treated myself to a second hand hybrid bike. No, not electric hybrid (that would get in the way of getting fit 😜), but half tour/half sport. No drop handlebars, but 27 gears, good breaks, thin wheels and lightweight. The difference was night and day! With little extra effort I was cycling 25% faster and twice as far. Before the weather turned a little nasty I was up to around 70KM a week. I was over the moon!

Now summer has gone here in the northern hemisphere and it's my favorite time of the year! Winter!

Well, I say my favorite, as long as we get days like we've had in my neck of the woods over the last couple of days 🤩

It's been cold, really cold, but it's also been dry, with little to no wind and with lots of sun.

Bright, crisp winters days in fact! Perfect!

Today there is a thick layer of frost on the ground, but the sun is out and there was no wind. With such beautiful weather I could hardly not take the bike out, could I?

Mistake...

2KM in and my fingertips were frozen
4KM and I'd lost feeling in them
5KM and I had feeling back, pain, absolute pain (and I could no longer feel the tiny levers for the brakes and gears)
6KM and my toes joined in the frozen game

It took me about 30 minutes after getting back into the warm before I could use my fingers again. And before the pain of them warming up stopped making me want to throw up.

If I'm going to be serious about carrying on over winter I need better gloves, the ones I have for walking just don't cut it on the bike!

A quick search and I think that I am going to try some heated gloves. I have issues getting heat into my fingertips so it seems a good option!

Right tools for the right job.

But those right tools only work for me. I've had people look at me incredulously for not buying an electric bike - you can go much further and with much less effort. If I was commuting then I would wholeheartedly agree! But I'm not going to be commuting. I'm going to be trying to work out on a bike.

Those gloves I'm looking at are way over the top for a lot of people (I'm sure that some people I know will think it's over the top), but for me they make sense. At least I hope they do, I have to see if I can still operate those tiny levers when wearing them!

So why am I rambling about this?

Because I see the same switchover in IT. I'm writing this in VS Code, because I love the markdown editor that comes out of the box.

I also use VS Code for TypeScript work. Azure Functions, Angular Application, Vue etc. And for YAML, PowerShell scripts etc. It's such an amazingly versatile tool!

For C# however, Visual Studio 2022 all the way. I wouldn't try to do any of the above using Visual Studio, I've tried that in the past and, er, no thanks 😅

I have an amount of different tools that I use at different times. And when something new comes along I'll play to see if it works for me.

Sometimes I change tools, other times not. Some tools I use in dark mode, others in light because I find the contrast with dark mode to be a little hard to see in some tools. There is no hard and fast rule that I stick to.

I'm saying this because everyone has their own idea of what the best tools are, and some people will really try to convince you that you have to change.

Either through positive pressure, trying to convince you just how much better your life will be if you change. Sometimes through shame tactics. That you are not a real developer if you don't use a particular tool. That you are an idiot if in 2021 you buy a new bike and it's not electric.

But any 'right' tool is only right for the person using it. Someone else may really have other needs, or find something else a better fit. It's all personal.

My advice (which you can totally ignore, of course 😝): listen to what people are saying to see if it makes sense for you. If it does then try it and evaluate it. If it works for you then awesome! You just managed to make your life that little better! If it doesn't then no harm, you tried and it didn't work out for you.

The most important thing it to try and make sure that out of all the tools at your disposal you are using the ones that are the best for you!