Mastodawn

Developer Tooling is a Lousy Business

Back in 2017 Slava Akhmechet wrote a post-mortem on the RethinkDB project: If you do set out to build a developer tools company, tread carefully. The market is filled with good alternatives. User expectations are high and prices are low. Think deeply about the value you’re offering to the customer. Remember – wanting the world to be a certain way doesn’t make it so. As a veteran of a developer tools startup, my view of that market is similarly jaundiced. Every hacker has a great […]

https://avdi.codes/developer-tooling-is-a-lousy-business/

Developer Tooling is a Lousy Business

It's a trap.

Avdi Grimm Apr 17

How to Understand a New Codebase Quickly

In the course of my career, I've jumped in headfirst to dozens of projects. There was a period of time when people would hire me for 2 hour slots, and in that time I would have to learn enough about their project and their code to not just understand it, but offer useful insights. And as a consultant, I've often needed to quickly come up to speed and be able to make useful changes to a codebase within days. What not to do Here's what I can tell you about what not to do: Don't start with […]

https://avdi.codes/how-to-understand-a-new-codebase-quickly/

How to Understand a New Codebase Quickly

To quickly get up to speed on an unfamiliar project, try to break it.

Avdi Grimm Mar 20

The hardest part to teach isn’t the answer, but the path that got us there.

https://avdi.codes/how-did-you-know-to-do-that/

#ExtractedFromSIGAVDI

How did you know to do that?

The hardest part to teach isn't the answer, but the path that got us there.

Avdi Grimm Nov 21, 2024

I read this in a business book once:

People don’t buy products, they buy a better version of themselves.

I’m not sure what book I saw that in. It’s something Kathy Sierra talks about a lot. But somehow I find it very easy to forget.

And while I encountered this quote in the context of marketing, it’s equally important to remember when building software solutions.

When writing software I […]

https://avdi.codes/youre-not-selling-a-solution/

#business #ExtractedFromSIGAVDI

You're not selling a solution

I read this in a business book once:People don’t buy products, they buy a better version of themselves.I'm not sure what book I saw that in. It's so

Avdi Grimm Sep 19, 2024

Oh no! There are so many technologies to learn! You are falling behind! How do you choose what to learn? What if you learn the wrong thing? What if you don’t have the right buzzwords?!

https://avdi.codes/how-to-cope-with-technology-fomo/

#ExtractedFromSIGAVDI #learning #practices

How to cope with technology FOMO

Oh no! There are so many technologies to learn! You are falling behind! How do you choose what to learn? What if you learn the wrong thing? What if you don't have the right buzzwords?!

Avdi Grimm Aug 15, 2024

“We just need to replace the whole system and then everything will be better.” Famous last words? Usually! But not always…

https://avdi.codes/notes-on-a-successful-second-system/

#ExtractedFromSIGAVDI #ThereSAlwaysMoneyInTheBananaStand #wordpress

Notes on a Successful Second System

"We just need to replace the whole system and then everything will be better." Famous last words? Usually! But not always...

Avdi Grimm Jul 18, 2024

Programming is widely regarded, at least among enthusiasts, as a creative act. Calling it a “craft” has gained widespread acceptance, and it’s not unusual to hear the term “art” thrown around (if sometimes a tad flippantly).

And yet, there’s something I see other self-identified “creatives” doing which seems almost entirely absent from the […]

https://avdi.codes/where-is-the-programmer-inspo/

#DesignPatterns #ExtractedFromSIGAVDI #metaphors #practices

Where is the programmer inspo?

Programming is widely regarded, at least among enthusiasts, as a creative act. Calling it a “craft” has gained widespread acceptance, and it’s not unusual