Notes on software and the ideas behind it

Find the meaning
behind the code.

I’m Fred Yang. I write about software—how it works, why it behaves the way it does, and the ideas that make code easier to reason about.

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Working notes / 2026

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Architecture, reactivity, and the hidden relationships that shape frontend systems.

Software Design

Static class vs Singleton

Design pattern question is often asked in interview for developer. In an interview, I was asked to describe one design pattern that I am familiar, except singleton. Maybe the interviewer think that Singleton is...
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Software Design

Defensive programer , code analysis, and code review.

I was born in China, English is not my native language, and I still have difficulties in writing in English. Once, I sent an email to my boss. In his reply he highlighted my...
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msbuild

Import msbuid files

The import construct is the re-usability mechanism in msbuild. When an import element is encountered, these steps take place The working directory is changed to that of the imported project file. Project element attributes...
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msbuild

DefaultTargets and InitialTargets

DefaultTargets attribute is a list of targets to execute if no target is specified. The InitialTargets attribute is a list of tarets to be executed before any other targets. In the following example, the...
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msbuild

property and item in msbuild

In msbuild, there are two way to save variable information, they are property and item. Here is an example how to define properties and items. <PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Release|AnyCPU' "> <DebugType>pdbonly</DebugType> <Optimize>true</Optimize> <OutputPath>bin\Release\</OutputPath>...
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