Siobhan Fitzpatrick

Visializing Lox Compilation

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 18:26:00 -0700

Lox Code 1

fun loopPrinter(addMe, minusMe) {
  var i = 0;
  while (i < 10) {
    print addMe + i - minusMe;
    i = i + 1;
  }
}

loopPrinter(5, (2 + 1));
print !true;
print true and false;

Testing Java Lox with jUnit

Thu, 15 May 2025 19:39:00 -0700

If you are going through a book like Crafting Interpreters and just input the code from the book and run it, maybe you don’t need tests. I would also argue you are probably not going to learn the material very well. Writing tests on its own will help build your understanding of the code the book is explaining to you, but the real point of adding unit tests is to support doing the exercises. I am not going to bother explaining the value of unit tests in general or test driven development, but I think it’s worth highlighting that the value of unit tests is particularly clear when you are refactoring and extending an existing codebase (which is basically what you are doing when you implement the features from the exercises).

Building the Java Lox Interpreter with Gradle

Mon, 07 Apr 2025 18:03:00 -0700

“Everything starts with a class in Java. Stick that in a text file, and go get your IDE or Makefile or whatever set up. I’ll be right here when you’re ready. Good? OK!” - Crafting Interpreters, 4.1 - The Interpreter Framework

“Or Whatever Setup”

Ok so we’re reading Crafting Interpreters, and the book wants to write its examples in Java. There are a lot of ways you could go about building and executing a Java project. Since I am a masochist who refuses to let an IDE set up my project for me, I’ll need to choose that setup for myself.

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Siobhan Fitzpatrick

Software Engineer

GitHub LinkedIn

Summary

Full-stack software engineer with 13+ years building user-facing products at companies from startups to Google and Disney. Specialized in the TypeScript/React ecosystem, with a track record of building interfaces that make complex systems and data usable — including a node-based editor for visualizing VFX pipelines and the data flowing through them. Comfortable owning both the frontend and the data behind it, with a particular interest in data visualization.