CoffeeScript is a little language that compiles into JavaScript. Underneath all of those embarrassing braces and semicolons, JavaScript has always had a gorgeous object model at its heart. CoffeeScript is an attempt to expose the good parts of JavaScript in a simple way.
It’s actually been around since 2009, but I just heard about it because it’s now included in Rails. It looks great. JavaScript is the new Assembly.
A consequence of Xcode 4’s single-window interface is that opening a file shows it in an existing pane rather than in a new window. Xcode normally picks the main editor pane, which can be annoying. Often, I’m looking at a source file and want to open its unit test file next to it. When I choose “Open Quickly” from the File menu, Xcode opens the test file on top of the source file. I expected that holding down the Option key would change the menu item to something like “Open Quickly in Assistant Editor,” but it doesn’t. However, Kevin Ballard has a great tip: when you’re in the “Open Quickly” window, you can hold down the Option key when clicking the Open button to open the file in the assistant editor. You can also hold down Option-Shift to choose which editor, tab, or window to open it in.
