Which isn’t fair, really, because (as I’ve said many a time) most people don’t actually hate JavaScript the language; they hate the buggy and inconsistent implementations of JavaScript in major web browsers and, to a larger extent, the buggy and inconsistent implementations of the DOM in major browsers.

Which is why as I have said before I do not like and do not advocate the use of JavaScript libraries. At first glance this may seem hypocriticial given you could argue that the LocalHero code repository is a JavaScript library in itself. However as I have said before LocalHero Code is not a library just a collection of useful functions and ways to harmonise browser behaviour. It is not an attempt to change the way the language should behave or abstract it.

In summary JavaScript on its own is a pretty good language. Which apart from browser inconsistent is very capable of being utilised to create some pretty sophisticated software without libraries. But if you net convinced here are some other reasons.

Why you should not uses libraries

1. Most libraries are bloated. The user may load a full library for effect, but in many cases the effect could be achieved in a few lines of code.

2. They unnecessarily abstract the code making debugging difficult. If something goes wrong it could be your code or the library code and it may be hard to determine which. Indeed libraries like prototype.js actually change the language behavior so much that people have likened prototype to crack cocaine.

3. Libraries remove the reason to learn JavaScript deeper. indeed because they may change language behaviour they may make it harder. As a result poorly written code proliferates this time on libraries.

4. It is really hard to create something really good with universal tool. A standalone script can generally be be optimized much better then library based one.

Aren’t actually faster

But my main problem with libraries are that for complex projects they slow down develpoment.

With ongoing complex projects you are generally extending and enhancing your work continuously. Because of this level of complexity you will generally find yourself having to understand how the entire code base (including the library) actually works. And in programming reconstructing somone elses logic can be more time consuming than actually writing it yourself. This can be even more unfortunate when if you discover there work is flawed and you DO have to write it yourself!

Bottom line don’t use JavaScript libraries.

Winter 2008 was the 16th season for the Dunneworthy touch team. Since the 2003 Dunneworthy has known plenty of success. Playing finals in the top grade every season but two but not cracking it for success in the big one.

After a disappointing Summer beset by injuries to key players. 2008 brought a few new faces and the hope that this might finally be the year we would win another premiership. After being unsure of the skill level of the new recruits I asked for us not be be put in the top grade. After smashing opponents in the firts thfour games it quickly became obvious we were playing the wrong grade. I asked for us to be put up, we were (and we kept the points).

From there our regular season form was mixed scoring some great wins against the lower and middle teams but losing narrowly through poor defence against fellow finals teams. Our porr defence was the cause of several team lectures from your truly emphasising defence. However due to some refereeing bonus points we finished top.

In the semi after a dour first half the flood gates openned in the scond and we ran away with it. This put us into the Grand Final against the Tornadoes. Yep a team that trains, and one that beat us narrowly earlier in the season.

In the grand final we started on fire scoring the frist three tries however Tornadoes fought back (or maybe we relaxed) and it was all square at the break. In the half time speech I said to the team we just have control field position, complete our sets of 6, and work hard in defence. I was confdent we’d score enough itn the seond we just had to stop them scoring.

As “Hannibal” Smith : says I love it when a plan comes together. After an enormous amount of hard work and desparate defence in the second half against a team with plenty of subs we got the win 6-4.

Link to APT summary

 

The Xavier and MURFC teams

In the curtain raiser MURFC played Old Xavier for the 10th Shaw Cup. In a close game former MURFC players proved the difference as Wilson Tighe and Peter Shaw both scored two tries. Final score 25-12.

Lerderderg Gorge State Park is less than an hour’s drive from home but I’d never been there. (I’ve asked this question before but I need to ask it again â what on earth have I been doing with my time?). Anyway, to redress this appalling lack, I headed out to the Gorge last Friday with a friend and we had a look at all of the plants and some of the animals.

The SP covers more than 14,000 hectares of eucalypt woodland. At the southern end, it’s dry and rocky, with a number of rare and endangered plants. The dominant trees are blue manna (Eucalyptus globulus) and manna gum (E. viminalis) along the river and red box (E. polyanthemos) on the ridges. At the northern end, the tall forest is mostly messmate (E. obliqua) with narrow-leaved peppermint (E. radiata). In between is an interesting sequence of box and box ironbark woodland, which seems to change rapidly from one type to the next.

The Lerderderg River rises near Blackwood and cuts a concertina of meanders through the hills until it joins the Werribee River on the coastal plain. The gorge is Lower Ordovician sandstone and mudstone shot through with veins of quartz. The sediments were laid down about 470 million years ago in a shallow sea.

Since then, it’s been tilted and turned and uplifted by a succession of faults …

… but has survived all that geological manhandling in remarkably good nick.

And there’s gold in them thar hills.

Koalas are common here but we didn’t see their furry arses wedged in the manna gums. This seems to be the pattern. I’m beginning to suspect they’re hiding from us. Neither were echidnas or kangaroos terribly obvious but the wombats had made their presence felt. Well, one wombat, which had marked its territory with great enthusiasm. Like lots of other mammals, they warn off intruders with judiciously placed poo. Wombats take great care with the location, preferring to leave their boundary markers on logs and stones. How they manage some of those sites is difficult to comprehend. They’re not the most acrobatic of animals but maybe they have hidden skills.

Although we had no luck with the mammals, the birds were out and about in great numbers. Crimson rosellas chatted to each other in the woodland canopy, while the currawongs and white-winged choughs stayed on the ridges. Small flocks of silvereyes moved through the trees, feeding on the brightly-coloured berries of fragrant saltbush (Rhagodia parabolica). (More about that tomorrow.) They were accompanied by yellow-faced honeyeaters, striated pardalotes and numerous LBJs, all of which were no doubt thrillingly rare and unusual but remain unidentified. A sacred kingfisher kept an eye on us for a while, until a laughing kookaburra took over the surveillance.

More about the northern end of the park soon. In the meantime, here are some of the botanical beauties of the bush

Fragrant saltbush (Rhagodia parabolica) is widespread in inland South Australia but is very limited in Victoria.

Mistletoe (Amyema pendulum) on yellow gum (Eucalyptus leucoxylon).

Native elderberry (Sambucus gaudichardiana) has edible berries but we left these for the birds.

Mistletoe (Muellerina eucalyptoides) on yellow box (E. melliodora). Its roots insinuate themselves along the branches in a slightly sinister way.

Forest germander (Teucrium corymbosum) occurs in the damper areas along the river bank.

Rock clefts provide protection for smaller plants including this purslane (Calandrinia)

Stonecrop (Crassula) is one of a handful of succulents in Australia.

Necklace fern (Asplenium flabellifolium)

A gallery of photos from the day is available here:

http://localhero.biz/display/media/images/shaw_cup_9/
more soon…

Wallabies day rolled around again and yet again it was time for the annual fixture between Old Xavier and Melbourne University. Old Xavier had enterred a strong team, but Melbourne Uni had abandoned the gents concept and fielded a full team of grade players.  The first half was tight with the teams trading tries. But in the second half the Old Xavier backline started to hum and it turned into a route.

A timeline of the match highlights follows:

1. Great interplay between forwards and backs leads to Old Xaviers first try:

   http://localhero.biz/media/videos/shawcup_7/shawcup_7_try_01.mpg

2. Melbourne Unis Number 8 brushes of poor tackling to score:

   http://localhero.biz/media/videos/shawcup_7/shawcup_7_try_02.mpg

3. A Marty Tighe chip is charged down for Melbourne Unis second try:

   http://localhero.biz/media/videos/shawcup_7/shawcup_7_try_03.mpg

4. Halfback Wilson Tighe powers through some ineffectual defence:

   http://localhero.biz/media/videos/shawcup_7/shawcup_7_try_04.mpg

5. Wilson scores another sniping down the blindside:

   http://localhero.biz/media/videos/shawcup_7/shawcup_7_try_05.mpg

6. Pete Shaw spaks the turnover and Marty Tighe finishes in grand style:

   http://localhero.biz/media/videos/shawcup_7/shawcup_7_try_06.mpg

7. The Old Xavier number 8 powers over after some fine forward lead up work:

   http://localhero.biz/media/videos/shawcup_7/shawcup_7_try_07.mpg

8. Rob Shaw finishes of a great Old Xavier team try:

   http://localhero.biz/media/videos/shawcup_7/shawcup_7_try_08.mpg

9. Rob Shaw finishes of some back line brilliance:

   http://localhero.biz/media/videos/shawcup_7/shawcup_7_try_09.mpg

10. More back line brilliance and a great offload lead to Old Xaviers 8th try:

    http://localhero.biz/media/videos/shawcup_7/shawcup_7_try_10.mpg

11. Straight from the kick-off Old Xavier go legth of the field to score an awesome team try:

    http://localhero.biz/media/videos/shawcup_7/shawcup_7_try_11.mpg

12. Mark Bowker intercepts a quick line out and shows a clean pair of heels to the defence:

    http://localhero.biz/media/videos/shawcup_7/shawcup_7_try_12.mpg

13. A quick tap and Old xavier are away as aubrey Inston caps a great dat for the boys in black:

    http://localhero.biz/media/videos/shawcup_7/shawcup_7_try_13.mpg

A gallery of photos from the day is available here:http://localhero.biz/display/media/images/shaw_cup_7/

My cousin took a few shots of the night, although it would appear they are mostly of him and his mates, they can be viewed here:
http://localhero.biz/display/media/images/petes_30th/

Dunneworthy looking to go one better this year went ahead early with a try to Simon Lewis of a beautiful Dan Cusack pass. However Scored hit back and when Dan Cusack was binned for 10 minutes for a fowl he did not committ scored skipped away to a 3 try lead at half time.

Scored extended their domination in the second half running away with the match 7-2. Giving them back to back victories and leaving Dunneworthy searching for an elusive first Royal Park title!