Category: podcast

Isaac and I explore the concept of certainty in software development and its potential toxicity. We discuss how certainty can lead to poor decision-making, limit experimentation, and encourage behaviors that contribute to toxic environments. We discuss the balance between certainty and uncertainty, especially for leadership roles, and the danger of strong opinions masquerading as certainty.

Watch on YouTube or listen to it at NeverRewrite, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music, and let us know if you have ever been involved in a rewrite. We would love to have you on the show to discuss your experience!

Isaac and I discuss the whether front-end modernization is a valid reason to do a full, big bang, rewrite. We stress the importance of iterative updates and customer experience and argue against the notion that a dated front end requires a complete rewrite. The conversation explores the risks of big bang rewrites, the benefits of gradual improvements, the questionable need for design consistency, and delivering value to customers.

Watch on YouTube or listen to it at NeverRewrite, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music, and let us know if you have ever been involved in a rewrite. We would love to have you on the show to discuss your experience!

Isaac and I explore the subjective nature of coding standards and what constitutes ‘shit code.’ We discuss the lack of industry-wide standards, the importance of intention in coding, and the balance between flexibility and adaptability in code quality. We also touch on the fluidity of language and how it parallels coding practices; coding standards should evolve with the context and needs of the project.

Watch on YouTube or listen to it at NeverRewrite, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music, and let us know if you have ever been involved in a rewrite. We would love to have you on the show to discuss your experience!

Guest Dustin Rea joins us to discuss the importance of aligning a company’s standards and processes with its lifecycle stages. The discussion covers five key phases: the MVP phase, where the foundation is built; the Product User Fit phase, focusing on understanding customer needs; the Product Market Fit phase, solidifying the offering; the Scaling Up phase, managing growth; and finally, the Multi-Product Platform phase, where companies expand their offerings. Each phase presents unique challenges and requires different approaches to maintain quality and efficiency.

Watch on YouTube or listen to it at NeverRewrite, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music, and let us know if you have ever been involved in a rewrite. We would love to have you on the show to discuss your experience!

Isaac and I discuss the inherent risks associated with software rewrites, emphasizing how rewrites push risk to the end of the development cycle. The discussion highlights the need for iterative development and the significance of delivering independent components to ensure project success, particularly within the SaaS model, which thrives on continuous improvement and customer satisfaction.

Watch on YouTube or listen to it at NeverRewrite, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music, and let us know if you have ever been involved in a rewrite. We would love to have you on the show to discuss your experience!

Isaac and I explore the concept of ‘musketeering’ in software development, emphasizing the importance of collaboration in solving complex problems. We discuss the challenges of legacy code, the necessity of testing, and the strategy of ‘divide and conquer’ to tackle intertwined issues effectively.

I originally discussed Musketeering in this post.

Watch on YouTube or listen to it at NeverRewrite, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music, and let us know if you have ever been involved in a rewrite. We would love to have you on the show to discuss your experience!

Isaac and I discuss the philosophy of continuous iteration in software development, emphasizing the importance of making small, incremental changes rather than large, risky updates. We explore the challenges of communicating the value of these trivial changes to non-technical stakeholders and the benefits of refactoring code for future development. The discussion also highlights the significance of storytelling in conveying the purpose and impact of these changes to a broader audience.

Watch on YouTube or listen to it at NeverRewrite, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music, and let us know if you have ever been involved in a rewrite. We would love to have you on the show to discuss your experience!

I missed this week’s episode due to a scheduling conflict and the ever capable Dustin Rea filled in! Isaac and Dustin Rea discuss the impact of perfectionism in programming, particularly how it can hinder project success. They explore the importance of launching minimum viable products (MVPs) to validate ideas in the market, the challenges of managing change in production software, and the balance between perfectionism and practicality. The discussion also highlights the significance of team dynamics and customer empathy in software development, as well as lessons learned from scaling and responding to customer demands.

Watch on YouTube or listen to it at NeverRewrite, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music, and let us know if you have ever been involved in a rewrite. We would love to have you on the show to discuss your experience!

Isaac and I ponder the question: If you intend to ignore an error in your logs, is it still an error? We roam through the implications of ignoring errors, the importance of proactive log management, the differe between true errors and warnings, and telemetry in alerting. If your logs are so noisy that it isn’t obvious when something goes wrong, this is the episode for you!

Watch on YouTube or listen to it at NeverRewrite, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music, and let us know if you have ever been involved in a rewrite. We would love to have you on the show to discuss your experience!

Isaac and Jeffrey delve into the concept of resource engineering, emphasizing the importance of understanding cost implications in engineering decisions. They discuss how engineers often overlook financial aspects while focusing on technical solutions, leading to potential inefficiencies. The dialogue highlights the need for engineers to have greater visibility into costs, particularly in cloud services like AWS, and how this awareness can drive better decision-making. They also explore the balance between optimizing costs and developing new features, advocating for a more business-oriented mindset among engineers to enhance overall effectiveness.

Watch on YouTube or listen to it at NeverRewrite, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music, and let us know if you have ever been involved in a rewrite. We would love to have you on the show to discuss your experience!