Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur

One of the most amusing anti-patterns is the one known as "make everyone happy."  The funny thing is that it never does.  Instead, it points us to an old bit of wisdom that you end up pleasing no one when you try to please everyone.  Put more simply; you cannot have more than one master.  If this seems familiar, we have discussed it under the name " design by committee " in prior posts. Make Every...

The series switches gears to look at anti-patterns.  We start with the mother of all anti-patterns, architecture by implication.  Any time we have a pattern that includes assumptions, success is a challenge.  Looking ahead, the next several episodes will explore familiar anti-pattern names.  We will find that many coding anti-patterns can also be applied to architecture.  Likewise, these are ways...

We wrap up our patterns focus with the space-based pattern.  This is also known as cloud architecture.  We will see how this approach allows us to break out the solution into components suited for scaling.  We solve the problem of scalability in architecture instead of tools . The Space-Based Pattern Defined We have often seen layers in our architecture discussions.  Similarly, this pattern breaks...

We come to one of the best patterns for breaking a big problem down into bite-sized pieces.  The microservices architecture pattern is a perfect fit.  The objective is to farm out work to one or more services that are small and well-defined.  This pattern is one that has grown in popularity and is often seen in Cloud solutions. The Microservices Architecture Pattern Defined The architecture is ano...

The focus of this episode on software architecture patterns is the microkernel pattern.  It is a common way to build on core technology without the need for future design.  Once the plugin interface is defined, the sky is the limit for enhancements and upgrades.  You do all of this without impacting that core. The Microkernel Pattern Defined This approach starts with a core piece of functionality....

We continue our season of software architecture patterns and more by reviewing the interpreter pattern.  This one may seem familiar.  It has been discussed in other areas of software development.  However, it is worth refreshing our memory on this helpful solution. The Interpreter Pattern Defined The way this works is to start from a client, and given a context; we receive an expression.  That may...

The blackboard pattern is arguably the least known among our first group.  This is a pattern that is not common because it is best used with some specialized tasks.  However, you may be familiar with it if you work in speech recognition, vehicle tracking, sonar signals interpretation, or similar open-ended forms of searching and matching. The Blackboard Pattern Defined Three appears to be the magi...

The Model-View-Controller pattern is one that is common and often seen in frameworks .  It provides us with a nice place to "hang" our code. The Model-View-Controller Pattern Defined We have another pattern that contains three parts.  In this case, we have the model, the view, and the controller.  These each has an area of functionality they contain and are intended to act without regard to the ot...

We often see the Event Bus architectural pattern in notification frameworks and Android development .  This approach provides us with a way to have a news feed mechanism across clients and processes. The Event Bus Pattern Defined There are three main players in this event bus pattern.  The players are the sources, the bus, and the listeners.  Within the bus, there are channels.  In this pattern, t...

This episode digs into the peer-to-peer software architecture pattern.  It is common among file-sharing and crypto networks.  Likewise, the pattern is not too complicated.  However, it is robust and secure as we have tightly defined communication paths.  We also have every node playing the role of both client and server. The Peer-To-Peer Pattern Defined The description of peer-to-peer is even less...

The broker pattern may seem very similar to some others we have examined.  However, it is more about distributed systems than balancing traffic.  The pipe-filter and master-slave patterns provide single path processing.  This pattern sends the requests down different paths based on the request itself. The Broker Pattern Defined A broker pattern is a sort of tree structure.  We start with a client...

The pipe-filter architectural pattern is very common and used to process data.  It is flexible and scalable.  This pattern has existed in other areas.  However, it is the perfect solution for software problems that need steps or filters. The Pipe-Filter Pattern Defined Think of a start and an endpoint.  Data has to go from beginning to end, and work will be done on it along the way.  The work done...

We switch gears in this episode and look at a pattern for getting work done.  The master-slave pattern can be confused with the client-server.  However, they are very different.  The main difference is how the work flows through the system. The Master-Slave Pattern Defined This pattern is a way to get large jobs done.  In contrast, the client-server pattern focuses on multiple users and requests. ...

The discussion of patterns sort of goes backwards this episode.  First, we look at the client-server pattern.  It is an older and well-established pattern.  However, it is not suited to modern solutions.  This approach harkens back to the old days of mainframes and massive servers that were shared resources for application users. The Client-Server Pattern Defined This pattern is the simplest versi...

We start our journey through software architecture patterns with one of the most common.  The layered pattern is easy-to-use and often easy to understand.  However, it is misunderstood, and there are challenges to overcome.  These are not weaknesses of the pattern.  Instead, they are obstacles for the designers and implementors to overcome.  This approach is also known as an N-tier pattern. The La...

We start this season of the podcast with an overview or review of software architecture patterns and anti-patterns.  This season will explore several of these, so it only makes sense to give ourselves a solid foundation for discussion.  We have talked often about these, but a refresher never hurts. Software Architecture Patterns Defined As we often do, we can start with a definition from Wikipedia...

No Sprint is complete unless it includes a retrospective and a review.  We need to examine what we accomplished and how we got here.  Those same considerations are important to make a part of our personal lives.  A personal retrospective and review are well-suited for natural pauses in our lives, such as Holidays or a vacation.  The new year is also right around the corner.  A resolution based on...

It is the time of year when we wind down a little bit .  This is when it is essential to reconnect and maybe even take a true vacation. Finally, we can get away from work, emails, and phone calls long enough to enjoy life a little. A True Vacation Recharges You We all have energy levels that ebb and flow.  Likewise, they also tend to decrease over time when we do not incorporate enough rest.  Ther...

Holidays and vacations are meant to recharge us.  They help us maintain or restore a positive focus and improve productivity.  Nevertheless, we want to avoid too much of a good thing.  A long vacation of a week or more can be highly renewing.  However, we can also lose focus, momentum and miss opportunities. Retrospection And A Positive Focus The slow times that seasonally appear in our lives are...

We are starting into that time of year where you might be most busy or struggle to find meaningful work.  For those that are experiencing the latter, this episode is to help us embrace downtime.  There are two important considerations during these times. First, we want to avoid backsliding on our progress and momentum.  However, we also want to rest and recharge.  No one can run full steam without...

We finish the season of interviews with a discussion of how to set a pace that leads to success.  We often refer to milestones and steady progress as productivity tools.  However,  here are some steps you can take to find success.  Sometimes the most significant obstacle is our focus and prioritization. Set A Pace - Assume A Marathon The side hustle is often a form of drug for an entrepreneur. Fir...

The season of interviews is wrapping up. First, however, I want to share some points about achieving goals and setting them.  This past season was a little different from other ones for the podcast.  It required a different approach.  That has helped me gain new insight into ways we can plan out milestones and find ways to hit them.  It is not easy and requires effort.  Nevertheless, here are some...

The greatest blessing you can have is to find joy in your work. It is a cliché to say you will never work a day in your life. However, that does not mean it is also not a true statement. Jeff Dillon has found that and plans on retiring to focus on what brings him joy. This situation may be a perfect example of how to enjoy the challenge of the job most suited to you. Enjoy The Challenge Or Face Bo...

One of the challenges of building a community is providing enough value to the members.  That requires a community effort from almost the start.  We continue our interview with Jeff Dillon, discussing the obstacles they face at Ed Tech connect. Chicken And Egg Addressed Through Community Effort It all comes down to a "which is first" problem, also known as chicken and egg.  Your community needs co...

We continue the interview with Jeff Dillon of Ed Tech Connect with a solution for finding software.  That is not a simple problem to solve in the modern world of dozens and might be hundreds of options.  There are solutions that partially or completely address your needs.  However, you need a way to reduce those options to a few and then one. Finding Software Without A Guide There is an amazing am...