How I shipped an app that actually sells
How I shipped an app that actually sells
Code, the Universe and Everything…
Latest posts
Building a Computer That’s Older Than the Internet
Monty Python is awesome. But there is one thing the Brits gave to the world that is even better: the ZX Spectrum. Introduced in 1982, the ZX Spectrum was a computer that sparked the home computer revolution in Britain and, due to its affordability, in many other European countries. The basic version had 16 KB Continue reading Building a Computer That s Older Than the Internet
Using mental models to think about software
No person can function properly without building mental models to understand the world around them. The reality is simply too complex to deal with as is, so we need to abstract it. Software is no different. The complexity of software systems has been only growing. As a result, the ability to quickly build mental models Continue reading Using mental models to think about software
Overthinking Software Projects
Weeks of coding can save you hours of planning. Most developers learn this truth the hard way. I did when I implemented a feature based on incorrect assumptions, and the only way to save it was to rewrite it. While junior engineers often fall into the trap of jumping straight to coding without thinking about Continue reading Overthinking Software Projects
How to quickly ramp up on new codebases
Joining a new team is intimidating. There is always much to learn new people, new processes, and a new code base. Ramping up on your new team’s code base is difficult, but knowing how to work effectively in it is crucial to your success. So, how do you do it quickly? My mid- and Continue reading How to quickly ramp up on new codebases
The Must-Have Skill Every Senior Developer Needs
Writing code is a fundamental skill every junior software developer needs to master. However, coding skills are no longer the biggest differentiator at senior and above levels. Every senior engineer is expected to have solid coding skills, and growing to higher levels based on coding alone is rare. If not coding, then what? If coding Continue reading The Must-Have Skill Every Senior Developer…
Understand the purpose of your work
One mistake I ve seen junior software engineers repeat again and again is their lack of understanding of why they work on tasks they work on. This confusion can be somewhat justified by the relatively small scope junior engineers typically have but it s a slippery slope. Doing something only because my manager (or a senior engineer) Continue reading Understand the purpose of your work
Want your productivity to skyrocket? Avoid this trap!
As a junior engineer, I felt the urge to jump on each new project that showed on the horizon. I never checked what I already had on my plate. Inevitably, I ended up with too many projects to work on simultaneously. Whenever my manager or a customer mentioned one of my projects, I immediately switched Continue reading Want your productivity to skyrocket? Avoid this trap!
A simple way to ship maintainable software
This was my first solo on-call shift on my new team. I was almost ready to go home when a Critical alert fired. I acknowledged it almost instantly and started troubleshooting. But this was not going well. Wherever I turned, I hit a roadblock. The alert runbook was empty. The dashboards didn t work. And I Continue reading A simple way to ship maintainable software
The 3 categories of skills every software developer needs to know
100% of software engineers who don t keep their skills sharp become obsolete[*]. Many who do keep their skills sharp also become obsolete. It all boils down to what skills they focus on. I divide skills into three main categories: company-specific, job-specific, and universal. This categorization makes it easy for me to decide where to invest Continue reading The 3 categories of skills every…