Maintainable

Robby speaks with Chris Birchall, author of Re-Engineering Legacy Software and Lead Software Developer at 47 Degrees. They cover how to identify both dead and zombie code in your software, approaches to consciously taking on technical debt, and when rewrites might be appropriate.Helpful Links47 DegreesRe-Engineering Legacy SoftwareFollow Chris on TwitterBook Recommendation: Sherlock Holmes Series by Sir Arthur Conan DoyleSubscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.

Robby speaks with Swizec Teller, Senior Software Engineer at Tia and author of Serverless for Frontend Engineers. In this conversation, Swizec shares his thoughts on how startups need to learn how to leverage technical debt effectively, an introduction to his book, and the traits of a Senior Engineer Mindset.Helpful LinksSwizec on TwitterSwizec on LinkedInServerless for Frontend EngineersThe Senior Mindset SeriesTiaBlog post: How to rewrite your app while growing to a $100,000,000 series BSwizec's book recommendations:How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale CarnegieThinking in Bets by Annie DukeSubscribe to Maintainable on:SpotifyApple PodcastsOvercastOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.

Robby speaks with Heidi Waterhouse, Transformation Advocate at LaunchDarkly and contributor to Docs for Developers. In this episode, Heidi shares the benefits of relying on documentation templates, getting over the paralysis of a blank page, why teams should consider hiring technical writers, speaking at conference, as well as her formula for outlining a tech talk idea.Helpful LinksHeidi's WebsiteHeidi's TwitterHeidi's LinkedInOrder the new book, Docs for Developer, that Heidi is a co-author ofBlog post: When you stare into the blank page, it stares back at youVideo: Lillian Gilbreth: First Lady of EngineeringSubscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.

Robby speaks with David Heinemeier Hansson (aka DHH), Creator of Ruby on Rails and CTO of Basecamp / HEY.Disclaimer: Robby sat down with DHH in early March 2021 about ~5-6 weeks before Basecamp's policy changes were announced and the significant impact that had within our community. It's quite likely that some of Basecamp's internal software engineering processes have since changed.Topics coveredWhy we should celebrate legacy software as a victory..that means it was successfulWhy Basecamp has opted to release new versions of their Saas vs iterating on a single versionHow Basecamp handles pure maintenance work and accounts for security backportsA high-level intro into ShapeUp and how Basecamp/HEY's team manages bugs and follow-up work during their two-week cooldownsWhy Basecamp has a Security Infrastructure Performance (SIP) team that deals with tipping points, security patches, and reactive workBasecamp's Research & Fidelity team that focuses on building and extracting frameworksWhy hasn't Ruby on Rails u

Robby speaks with Matt Wynne, who is currently a co-lead of Cucumber Open and a BDD Advocate at SmartBear. They cover an introduction to Cucumber and how it fits into a software team's toolbox, the importance of reliable tests and speedy tests for quick feedback loops, and why teams struggle to introduce TDD into existing software applications.Helpful LinksCucumberSmartbearGherkinTechnical Debt vs Technical WasteFollow Matt on TwitterMatt's blogBook Recommendation: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. PirsigSubscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.

Robby speaks with Tom Granot, Solution Engineer at Lightrun. They discuss producing content for technical (and non-technical) audiences, why consistency in your communication style matters, and the importance of good bug reporting and resolution.Helpful Links:[Book Recommendation] The Hacker's Diet by John WalkerFollow Tom on TwitterTom's websiteLightrunMonica CRMAsync http clientSubscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.

Robby speaks with Andrew Watkins, VP of Engineering at Buildops. They dig into what it means to be "easily testable", the downsides to being allured by new technology, and why rewrites are really, really tough.Helpful LinksConnect with Andrew on LinkedInFollow Buildops on LinkedIn[Book Recommendation] Heroes DieSubscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.

Robby speaks with Rodney Cobb, Principal DevOps Engineer at Remine Inc. They discuss the three verticals of maintainable systems, the importance of mental health days, why all work needs to be visible and tracked, comparing DevOps to Hip Hop culture, and taking time to ask yourself, "when do I take the time to level up?"Helpful LinksRodney on LinkedInBook Recommendation: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B Cialdini PhDSubscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.

Robby speaks with Dr. Michaela Greiler, Founder and Trainer at Awesome Code Review Workshops. They discuss the importance of taking time to revisit past technical decisions, what is/isn't technical debt, as well as the distinction between protecting the quality of the code and expanding the knowledge of what is changing in a software codebase.Dr. Greiler also talks about some mistakes that engineers make when conducting code reviews. She also shares helpful tips on how to provide meaningful feedback without making it personal and/or blaming.Helpful LinksDr. Greiler's WebsiteWorkshopsPodcastDr. Greiler on TwitterSE Unlocked on TwitterDr. Greiler on LinkedIn[Book Recommendation] Essentialism, Greg McKeown Subscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.

Robby speaks with Mark Kilby, Distributed Agile Guide and Founder at K5 Labs. They discuss the benefits of healthy and reliable automated tests, symptoms of when things are not working, challenges that teams may face in different types of remote working scenarios, and what effective communication looks like amongst team members. Mark also gives advice on things to consider as an Agile coach and how to build your Agile toolbox.Helpful LinksMark's WebsiteMark on Twitter[Book Recommendation] The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey[Book Recommendation] From Chaos to Successful Distributed Agile Teams: Collaborate to Deliver, Johanna Rothman and Mark Kilby[Article] Is hybrid-remote going backward or forward? Subscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.

Robby speaks with Kevin Stewart, VP of Engineering at Harvest. They discuss fighting ideological battles, why time-to-deploy is one of the most valuable metrics to measure and improve, and why teams should be revisiting their technical stack decisions. Kevin also gives advice to developers and shares some approaches to running internship programs.Helpful LinksKevin's Websiteleaddev.comKevin on TwitterKevin on LinkedInCareers at Harvest[Book Recommendation] The Hard Thing About Hard Things, Ben HorowitzSubscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.

Robby speaks with Ken Fogel, College Instructor, JCP EC member, and Java Champion. They discuss the benefits of unit testing, how Dawson approaches internship placement, and the importance of code documentation. Ken also talks about how software is about more than just getting things to work, and why it's important to focus on the long-term impact of coding decisions.Helpful LinksOmnijava.comKen's TwitterDzone ArticleSubscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.

Robby speaks with Murray Steele, Engineering Manager at CLEO AI. They discuss approaches to tracking down unused code in your system, working as a consultant vs within a product company, and why technical debt is good. Murray also talks about why we need to be cautious when we discuss prototypes and the importance of community.Helpful LinksMurray's WebsiteMurray's TwitterMurray's LinkedInSubscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.

Robby speaks with Dr. Felienne Hermans, Author and Associate Professor at Leiden University. They discuss the importance of building mental models, the difference between short-term and working memory, and how to take control of your own onboarding by confirming assumptions and asking effective questions. Dr. Felienne also talks about steps to understand a new-to-you codebase, as well as exercises to improve how you read code.Helpful LinksDr. Felienne's WebsiteDr. Felienne's TwitterThe Programmers Brain[Book Recommendation] What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Haruki MurakamiSubscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.

Robby speaks with Bertold Kolics, Software Quality Manager at mabl. They discuss the benefits of documenting software behavior, tracking down and removing dead code, and challenges that teams face when relying on 3rd-party APIs and libraries. Bertold also talks about the role of a Software Quality Manager, as well as tips on how to evaluate open-source components.Helpful LinksBert's WebsiteBert's TwitterBert's LinkedIn[Book Recommendation] The Economics of Emotion: How to Build a Business Everyone Will Love, Kyle M.K.Subscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.

Robby speaks with Kent C. Dodds, software engineer and teacher. They discuss the benefits of duplication, Kent's journey to becoming an educator, and what it's like managing a community of engineers. Kent also talks about flipping the test pyramid upside down and focusing on fewer, longer tests.Helpful LinksKent's PodcastKent's TwitterKent's LinkedInhttps://epicreact.dev/https://testingjavascript.com/https://kentcdodds.comhttps://kentcdodds.com/discordhttps://kentcdodds.com/podcasthttps://epicreact.dev/articleshttps://epicreact.dev/podcast[Blog Post Recommendation] AHA Programming Subscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.

Maintainable Nails: Bonus Episode 06Robby speaks with Mark Adams, who is known by his friends and family as, "Mark." On this episode, he shares his lessons from having attended Burning Man several times, taking care of your infant's nails, and bridging the gap when two people move-in together and need to intermix their nail tools.Subscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.

Maintainable Nails: Bonus Episode 05Robby speaks with Amy Michelle Sorensen, former NedX speaker and self-described "nails for life" coach. Amy digs into her research findings from a several year study on wine and nails, long-term care, supplements, and navigating remote nail coaching during a global pandemic.Helpful LinksTwitterLinkedInSubscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.

Maintainable Nails: Bonus Episode 04Robby speaks with Logan Luke Tyler Tanner, acclaimed motivational life coach, author, and speaker. Logan Luke Tyler shares his rationale for why it's important to focus, first, on clean nails and then to focus on the additional layers, overcoming nail biting,  and the future of keyboards.Helpful LinksBioLinkedInSubscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.

Maintainable Nails: Bonus Episode 03Robby speaks with Erica Tafavoti, food blogger, beverage temperature conisseur, and podcast host. Erica shares her perspective on maintenance before sporting, those awkward, tender...moments, mental health during before and during a global pandemic, getting the perfect hand photo, and discuss her new podcast.Helpful LinksBioLinkedInPodcast: Unwell with EricaSubscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.