Developer Tea

In today's episode we to continue or discussion on The Twelve-Factor App . Specifically reviewing the importance of dependencies and config . In this episode we'll go over manifest files, node modules, gitignore , and keeping your code in the safest state. Special thanks to today's sponsor: Harvest Harvest is your time tracking tool built for understanding where your time is going. You can start a...

This week, I'm going to go dig into a few of Heroku's Twelve-Factor Application Model . Today's episode will be focused around codebase also known as a repository. We'll talk about understanding codebase, implementing techniques and deploying. I'd like to note that you can implement this model on any deployment platform, not just Heroku. There's even a way to create a Heroku like docker on Digital...

In today's episode I'll dig into mutable states and go over two things you can do to get away from relying on external states so you can read and test methods. Be sure to check out Sandy Metz's 2015 Railconf talk "nothing is something" on why conditional statements make code more difficult to reason. Special thanks to Today's sponsor: Code School Code School is an online learning destina...

In today's episode, I talk about the importance of stopping assumptions in their tracks by reading manuals. I'll go over documentation, and tips to get you started on the fundamentals of manual reading. Thanks to today's sponsor: Digital Ocean Today's episode is presented by DigitalOcean. Go to https://digitalocean.com to get started, and use the promo code " DEVELOPER TEA " at the check...

In today's episode, I talk about intentional problem solving and challenge listeners to stop reaching for the quickest answer and instead experience the problem. During today's episode I provide some tips to help build your experimentation techniques so you can find a solution without automatically defaulting to Google or Stack Overflow first. If you participated in this challenge. I would love to...

In today's episode I respond to a listener question that came in from Dhruv, who asks, "What should a beginner like me work on?" Aside from being a better coder, where should you expand your knowledge? If you have a question that you'd like me to explore you can write to me via Twitter @developertea or through the Developer Tea contact form . Don't forget to leave a review on iTunes . If...

On Today's episode, I talk about making a good first impression. How can we engineer memorable moments that will create a positive impact on how people will remember your product or service? We don't have to be experts, but as developers we do need to be mindful of what it means to create a good user experience. As an example, I refer in this episode to Image Magic and their lack of good user expe...

In today's episode I review why focus is so important to coding by diving into the Solid Principles developed by Robert C. Martin also known as "Uncle Bob" and the importance of the Single Responsibility Principle : A class should have one, and only one, reason to change. Thanks to today's sponsor: Digital Ocean Today's episode is presented by DigitalOcean. Go to https://digitalocean.com...

Today's episode, I answer a listener question from Janus, who focuses primarily on User Experience and Design. Janus asks, How much code should I know before handing it to a developer? Programming isn't easy. Hard work ethic pays off. To answer this question, I turn to the experts, and a 9 step framework for checking your code. Thank you, Janus for your question. If you have a question that you'd...

Strengths and skills are two different things, but when should you learn a new skill or improve a current skill? During today's episode, I'll talk about what strengths can help you recognize which skills to become a master at, how your current resources can help, and the importance of investing time in relationships. Additional Reading Mentioned: Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham I...

Have you ever felt like you've had to plan everything before beginning to write your code? In today's episode, I talk about the disposability of our computing resources, code testing tips, and how to intermingle coding with planning. Thanks to today's sponsor: Digital Ocean Today's episode is presented by DigitalOcean. Go to https://digitalocean.com to get started, and use the promo code " DE...

Clients are never happy when hearing that you've underestimated how long a project will take in reality. In today's episode, I talk about how to anchor your estimations and keep your clients happy, and share a quick tip to get you there. Related Resources from this episode Estimating sandwiches: https://developertea.com/episodes/9981 Anchor Bias: http://coglode.com/gems/anchoring-bias How do you k...

In today's episode I'll talk about the importance of refactoring your software, identifying when you should refactor your code and tips and techniques for optimal refactoring to keep your code easier to maintain and easier for future extension. Martin Fowler, who wrote the Agile Manifesto and a great resource has a great stance on this when he says, "You don't decide to refactor, you refactor...

What is the difference between a Junior and Senior Developer? In today's episode, I talk about what it takes to get from Junior level programmer to a Senior level programmer. We'll go over some basic characteristics of the two levels, and tips to get further in your programing career. Special thanks to Today's sponsor: Code School Code School is an online learning destination for existing and aspi...

in today's episode, I get to talk with fellow developer and podcaster Patrick Hill about how to balance hobbies and work life. We talk about goals, motivation, time management and learning to focus on how to progress from one week to the next. You can follow Patrick not on Twitter but you can find him on Instagram or Letterboxd . Make sure you check out Patrick's podcast: Master of 1 and if you're...

I had the pleasure of talking with Grant Ingersoll. Grant is a search and NLP engineer, author of Taming Text and CTO at Lucidworks . In today's episode, Grant and I discuss his book, Taming Text , how he got into Natural Language Processing (NLP) , and discover what he thinks is the next big problem to be solved in text and language analysis. If you're interested in working on text problems follo...

Today marks our 100th episode! Special thanks to you, the listener for tuning in, submitting your many listener questions, sending feedback, and for nominating Developer Tea as podcast of the year in this year's Net Awards. We've accomplished a lot in our first 100 episodes, experimenting and improving along the way. In today's episode, I'll talk about the importance of improvement as a developer...

Today I talk about the pros and cons to the restraint bias or impulsive behaviors. Tools like a daily routine help to refocus your impulses. I'll go over routines and other helpful tools to help steer those impulsive behaviors. If you have not voted for Developer Tea in the year's Net Awards head on over to bit.ly/votetea and support the show for this year's podcast of the year. Thanks to today's...

How many times have you seen someone create a framework, realize it has bugs, and instead of adopting a bigger framework, would rather spend the extra time fixing their bugs, all for the sake of using something they'd built? This is also known as The IKEA effect . When one places more value on something they'd had a part in building, regardless of quality or function. Today, I look at the things t...

In today's episode I talk about the positive and negative effects of laziness, and the overlap between simplicity and complexity, especially in your code. Don't forget to vote for Developer Tea for podcast of the year in the 16th annual Net Awards - Voting ends July 13th! Today's episode is brought to you by: OneMonth Head over to OneMonth.com/developertea to get started learning Ruby on Rails in...

Estimation is so hard to do. Today, I talk about overcoming estimation obstacles, and some tactics to help you along the way. It's difficult to know what we're capable of, especially if we haven't nailed down a routine. Even if you do have a routine down, you can't predict the future. How do we get around this when scoping a project? I'll dig into this and many other questions about estimation and...

During today's second half of our two-part interview, Russ Taylor and I talk about the importance of testing. We dive into methods for testing like Happy Path Testing, and how to stay productive using techniques like Kanban . If you missed the first half of my interview with Russ, and listen to more episodes, you can head over to Developer Tea.com and hit Subscribe through our RSS feed, Stitcher ,...

During today's first half of a two-part interview, I have the pleasure of talking with Russ Taylor . Russ works on the continuous integration team at Etsy . We had a chance to talk about test driven development, all of the processes that Russ is involved with at Etsy, and how big applications like Etsy come together. If you don't want to miss out on the second half of my interview with Russ, you c...

Don't Delay In today's episode, I talk about the fatal flaw of putting things off 'til tomorrow, and the simple, yet difficult, solution to the imbalance of the demand we experience versus our capacity to accomplish those demands. Mentioned in this episode: Avdi Grimm's new language roadmap Today's sponsor is Codeship, a hosted continuous integration platform. Get started today at Codeship.com , a...

In the second half of this episode, Mackenzie Child and I talk about his 12 in 12 challenge , and what it was like to make the switch from designer to developer. We cover a lot of ground in this episode. Starting with Mackenzie's first job as a designer, getting the backstory on why he decided to learn code, what encouraged him to make the switch, and how designers can get coding, today through Un...