Dead Code

In this episode of Dead Code, Jared Norman and guests Andrew, Sofia, and Senem discuss their experiences with Advent of Code, an annual programming challenge with Christmas-themed puzzles. They share how the challenge fosters creativity, improves coding skills, and allows for unique problem-solving approaches, particularly using Ruby’s powerful tools like Tally and each_cons. The group reflects on...

In this episode of Dead Code, Jared Norman and guest Noah Gibbs, author of Rebuilding Rails and Mastering Software Technique , discuss programming as an art form rather than purely a business or engineering practice. They explore how programming, much like traditional art, thrives on creativity and self-expression, with languages like Ruby enabling this through flexibility and elegance, even at th...

In this episode of Dead Code , host Jared Norman shares highlights from RubyConf in Chicago, reflecting on its exceptional programming and his personal connection to the venue, dating back to RailsConf 2014. Memorable talks included Matz’s keynote on Ruby's future, Aaron Patterson’s optimization insights, Enrique Mogollan’s exploration of Ruby's boundaries, and Yusuke Endoh’s innovative code-as-ar...

In this Dead Code episode, Jared Norman hosts Aji Slater, Development Team Lead at thoughtbot, to discuss “incremental automation,” a concept that advocates for gradually automating tasks by refining them with small steps rather than investing large amounts of time upfront. Aji explains that capturing each step of repetitive tasks enables developers to tweak processes over time, which reduces fric...

In this Dead Code episode, Jessica Kerr (Jessitron) joins host Jared Norman to explore the evolving nature of experimentation and learning in software development. Jessica reflects on her shift from valuing software’s determinism to embracing the unpredictability of distributed systems and human factors. She explains that traditional scientific methods, like A/B testing, often fall short in comple...

In this episode of Dead Code, host Jared Norman talks with Andrew Atkinson, author of High Performance Postgres For Rails , about the benefits and recent updates to Postgres. Andrew shares why he prefers Postgres for its reliability, extensibility, and independence from corporate control, making it ideal for applications with complex or fluctuating data needs. They delve into Postgres 17’s new fea...

In this Dead Code podcast episode, Jared Norman interviews Chael Wright-Munn (ChaelCodes) about the benefits of working openly through activities like live streaming and contributing to open-source projects. Chael emphasizes how creating a "library of examples" through public coding can enhance a developer’s skills, build their professional network, and preserve their achievements beyond their cur...

In this episode of Dead Code, host Jared Norman interviews Garrett Dimon about the benefits of using Rails generators for automating tasks and maintaining consistency in Rails applications. Garrett, a seasoned developer, shares how he transitioned to Ruby and Rails and delved deep into using generators to simplify repetitive tasks, automate file creation, and adhere to Rails conventions. He discus...

In this episode, Jared speaks with Coraline Ada Ehmke, a veteran software developer and creator of the Contributor Covenant and Hippocratic License, about the ethics of open-source software. Coraline discusses common justifications developers use to avoid accountability for the potential harm their software may cause, such as the "freedom zero" argument advocating for unrestricted use of software...

In this episode, host Jared Norman and SuperGood teammates and guests Mat Harvard, Sofia Besenski, Noah Silvera, and Chris Todorov recap their experiences at Rails World 2024. They discuss the unique venue in Toronto, key takeaways from David Heinemeier Hansson's keynote on making Rails more accessible, and the shift towards on-prem solutions over services like Heroku. The panel highlights technic...

In this episode of Dead Code, J.B. Rainsberger discusses the pitfalls of integrated tests, calling them a "scam" due to their tendency to complicate rather than solve testing problems. He advocates for writing smaller, more focused tests, like unit tests, to simplify debugging and avoid tangled code. J.B. emphasizes that test-driven development (TDD) should be flexible, guiding developers to test...

In this episode of Dead Code, Jared interviews Kevin Newton, Staff Software Engineer at Shopify, about his work on Ruby's new parser, Prism. Kevin explains how Prism was created to address the limitations of Ruby's original parser by providing a portable, error-tolerant solution that unifies the ecosystem, replacing multiple outdated parsers used across different tools. They discuss the challenges...

In this episode of the Dead Code Podcast, Jared Norman talks with Stefanni Brasil, a Senior Software Developer at thoughtbot and co-founder of hexdevs, about career growth, open source, and mentorship in tech. Stefanni shares her non-traditional path into software development and her passion for helping mid-level developers advance through her program "Get to Senior," which addresses both technica...

Hilary Stohs-Krause and Jared discuss the importance of applying accessibility principles to coding environments, emphasizing how it benefits both developers and end-users. Hilary, a senior software engineer, shares insights from her talk at Madison Ruby, highlighting how small changes, like using descriptive variable names, avoiding acronyms, and incorporating linters, make code more readable and...

In this episode of "Dead Code," Jared and Harmony, a self-taught programmer with extensive experience in Ruby, explore the benefits of experimenting with unconventional programming languages. They discuss Fennel, a Lisp that compiles to Lua, highlighting its simplicity and versatility for applications like game modding. Jared shares his experience with ReScript, a language in the ML family that co...

In this episode of "Dead Code," host Jared Norman interviews Jim Remsik, a Ruby developer and founder of the consultancy Flagrant. Jim shares his journey from .NET to Ruby on Rails, reflecting on the early days of the Ruby community and the impact of its vibrant, collaborative environment on his career. He discusses the importance of mentorship and nurturing junior developers, stressing the need f...

In this episode of the Dead Code podcast, Jared welcomes RailsConf speakers Joël Quenneville and Stephanie Minn, both from thoughtbot and co-hosts of The Bike Shed podcast. Stephanie discusses her talk on the stages of change model, initially about codebase changes but ultimately focusing on adopting testing practices, highlighting the evolution of her topic and the importance of addressing test p...

In this episode of the Dead Code Podcast, Jared interviews his brother Alistair Norman and colleague Senem Soy about their experiences with conference talks. Alistair recently spoke at RailsConf in Detroit on mentorship and pair programming, choosing the topic for its broad relevance and personal interest. He prepared for the talk by biking 750 kilometers from Toronto to Detroit, which, while ment...

In this episode of the Dead Code podcast, host Jared Norman interviews Robby Russell, the CEO of Planet Argon and creator of Oh My Zsh, who shares insights from his extensive experience in software development, particularly Ruby on Rails. Robby discusses the challenges of software maintenance and technical debt, emphasizing the importance of understanding and managing different types of debt withi...

What does Quora.com think of TDD? Guests: Noah Silvera (she/her), Benjamin Wil (he/him) Jared Norman: Mastodon , Twitter , Threads Dead Code: Mastodon , Twitter , Threads Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What's going on with the TDD heads these days? Byron Alley: Website , Twitter , Mastodon Jared Norman: Mastodon , Twitter , Threads Dead Code: Mastodon , Twitter , Threads References: The Tweet Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A short preview of what you can expect from future episodes of Dead Code. I promise better editing and mic position in the future. Dead Code Socials: Mastodon Twitter Threads Jared Norman Socials: Mastodon Twitter Threads References: Oddly Influenced, Episode 40 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.