Scriptable Remote Debugging

Scriptable Remote Debugging

We thought that since the GUI version worked so well, we could write something similar that would run

headlessly. The main goal was to automate page regression tests, taking full advantage of Python, the

chosen implementation language. For that, an Android Debug Bridge (adb) Python module was written,

which allows for very flexible scripting from your host. Naturally, a shell version of RemoteJS was

also written on top of the adb module. It listens for JavaScript commands on stdin and output results

to stdout. Here’s the tool in action, debugging another Sencha Touch example:

For our holiday issue this year, we have a special treat: “No Flies, No Folly” by Josh Weil. Josh is

probably best known for his book The New Valley, which links together three exquistiely told novellas

and inspired the National Book Foundation to choose him for their “5 under 35″ list in 2009. In “No

Flies, No Folly,” Josh Weil turns to the short story, and what a story he tells. Set in Pennsylania

Dutch country, the narrative opens with Yankel, a Russian-Jewish immigrant peddler, who carries his

wares and his troubled past across his shoulders. He visits the Amish farm of the Hartzler family, and

when Mrs. Hartzler secretly asks him to bring an electric light on his next visit, their relationship

takes an unexpected turn. Around the One Story office, where we pride ourselves on creating quick mash

-ups to describe the different issues of our magazine, we’ve been calling this story “Fiddler on the

Roof meets Witness.” But that hardly does it justice, because it is the language of the piece, the

beauty of Josh Weil’s prose that distills all the elements of religious tradition, history,

immigration, family, loss, progress and industrialization into a love story that is truly illuminating.

I hope everyone enjoys “No Flies, No Folly” as much as I did–it’s the perfect story to read on a cold

winter’s night over the holidays. Be sure to also read the author’s Q&A with us to find out more

about Josh Weil and the inspiration behind “No Flies, No Folly.”