Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur

The Adapter Pattern is one of the easiest to understand and relate to the real world.  We see adapters used every day and they have become a critical factor in our daily success.  Almost every device we have utilizes an adapter in some way. The Adapter Pattern Defined As always, we will start with the " Gang of Four " definition to set the stage for our discussion. "Ensure a class only has one ins...

This episode tackles the AWS business and productivity tools group of services.  It includes Chime, Alexa for business, WorkMail, WorkDocs, and we add a quick look at WorkSpaces.  These combine to provide a set of solutions for small to large companies that are not focused on tech workers.  These services are aimed at handling everyday business needs like document storage and sharing, communicatio...

Customer Relationship Management Tools are big business.  You can see examples in vast and expensive solutions like SalesForce.com.  However, not every answer is world-class and focused on the enterprise customers.  There are also plenty of options all the way down to the free and low-cost arena.  We will look at some of these contenders that not only can serve your needs. They also can be easier...

The last of the creation patterns we will cover is the Singleton.  This is a pattern that has a little controversy around it and may even be an anti-pattern.  It is easy to implement, but the reason for needing one can trip you up. The Singleton Pattern Defined It helps to start with the " Gang of Four " definition and then we will dig into that. "Ensure a class only has one instance, and provide...

As we move through the groups of AWS services, the developer tools group is one of the most impressive.  Amazon does an excellent job of providing you everything you need to jump right in and get into writing code.  Buckle up as we look into this broad group of services. Code Commit The options for version control go beyond Git.  However, it seems like the other choices are becoming less and less...

Content management systems were all the rage about a decade ago.  However, that market has settled down a lot and has only a few top contenders.  That may not matter to you or your customers.  A CMS is going to be a tool that can provide a large amount of value if it works closely to how you do.  Therefore, it is worth your time to stay up to speed with the latest offerings.  There are significant...

Our tour of the creational patterns takes us to one of the fastest ways to create a new instance.  The prototype pattern provides an option to clone an instance rather than create and then set values.  This approach has a variety of uses that can reduce coding and execution time. The Prototype Pattern Defined It helps to start with the " Gang of Four " definition and then we will dig into that. "S...

The AWS networking and content delivery services provide you the means to put your infrastructure in the cloud.  These offerings are focused on the networking side of things (as the name tells us) rather than the actual servers.  This is where we go to direct users to our solutions or and protect our systems from outsiders. AWS Networking In general, the Amazon services are on the Internet and ope...

A few years ago I stumbled across the ideas of heatmaps and recording for websites.  This is one of the most potent user experience improvement tools available.  The ability for visitor recording alone brings the task of watching a room full of users to your fingertips. Visitor Recording If you have not experienced this sort of tool, it is a game-changer.  The way visitor recording works with thes...

We continue our exploration of the creation patterns with a look at the Factory Method.  This is a pattern where we see that instantiation is sometimes better when deferred.  We do not always know all we need to at instantiation time.  Thus, we need a pattern to address holding off on that step until we have the required information. The Factory Method Defined It helps to start with the " Gang of...

In this episode, we look at the migration group of services.  We have already discussed a few of these and will focus on the ones that are new to us.  These services are the Migration Hub, Application Discovery,  and the Application Migration Service. We looked at the database migration service and the "snow" family of services in prior episodes.  These make it easy to move a database to the cloud...

There have been a lot of excellent free and low-cost reviewed already.  However, this week we continue our "shopping" with a look at code review and analysis applications.  This used to be an area where all of the solutions were pricey.  Fortunately, SAAS options, improved automation, and well-defined best practices (with a touch of open source) have made these affordable.  Yes, even the individua...

In this episode, we look at the Builder pattern.  This one is another creational pattern that helps us construct the class instances for our application.  It is another pattern that could be skipped through brute-force and a wide range of constructors, but I think you will see this is a much better approach. The Builder Defined It helps to start with the " Gang of Four " definition and then we wil...

The AWS database group of services is positioned to cover any need you have for storing and accessing data.  We have looked at files and general storage.  These services are more specific and are true database solutions. Aurora The popularity of MySQL and PostgreSQL was recognized by Amazon.  Thus, they saw that a high-speed solution that was compatible with those SQL platforms was going to be wor...

In this episode, we look at some free and low-cost task management applications.  Some of these do more and add on project management or even invoicing features.  However, they do all help you keep track of the work you (and your team) need to get done. Many Excellent Options If you spend a few minutes and peruse the massive list of potential tools in this area from G2Crowd (see link below), then...

In this episode, we look at the Abstract Factory pattern.  This is a creational pattern which means it has to do with creating and utilizing class instances.  There is also a Factory pattern that will be covered later in the series. The Abstract Factory Defined It helps to start with the " Gang of Four " definition and then we will dig into that. Provides an interface for creating families of rela...

In this episode, we take a look at the AWS storage services group.  This includes some of the older services like S3 and elastic block storage.  If you have not had a look at these offerings recently, then it is worth your time to get reacquainted with them. Fast to Slow Access One of the primary differences in storage types is how fast (or slow) the data can be accessed.  The Simple Storage Servi...

This first episode of the season on free and low-cost tools looks at finance and accounting applications.  I assume that these will not be the most fun and exciting applications we cover.  However, they will be some of the most critical to any business. Accounting Applications For You As we go over the applications in this episode, it is essential for you to remember that the best tools will be th...

This season will take a look at the software design patterns that we should know.  Each episode will dig into a pattern and how to implement it.  Some of these will be very familiar, and some may open your mind to a whole new approach to software solutions.  In this first episode of the season, we look at why patterns matter at all. Proper Object-Oriented Design Software design patterns are the ne...

This season (season 4) will cover the groups of services Amazon provides in their AWS offerings.  Each episode will focus on a particular group and review the included services from a high level.  We have created posts over the last year to go a little deeper into each service.  However, this season will give you some great ideas on where to start and what they currently offer. The Virtual Machine...

There are a large number of management strategies that have been pushed over the years.  The study and promotion of these approaches is a cottage industry unto itself.  One of my favorite ideas is Management By Walking Around.  This is a practice that works excellent for traditional office environments.  However, it becomes a bit of a challenge when some or all of your team is remote. Casual Commu...

We have focused a lot on the fun part of a side-hustle.  The goal is to enjoy our work as we pour more effort into our success.  On the other hand, we need to have a professional approach to the side-hustle.  It is not enough to say we are working on a side project.  There has to be some effort, dare I say "hustle," that is included in your march to success. Deadlines, Not Soft Dates You have spen...

When we talk about skills that are important for success, some have a higher value than others.  History has shown us that perseverance is one of those that is the most significant.  Nearly every successful business was created by someone that experienced more than a few failures before that success.  That ability to get up after getting knocked down is perseverance. Bound To Come Some Trouble The...

I think that we all strive for a meaningful life.  We do not want to breathe our last breath and look at missed opportunities.  That concern goes beyond something as narrow as a focus on professional success.  We all have an inner child that occasionally needs to come out and play.  It is just the case that our inner child plays in different ways for each of us and as we age. A Meaningful Life Req...

Cord-cutting is one of the trends of the last decade or so that the Internet has led to.  This is the situation where someone cuts the "cord" of cable or satellite television through a provider and manages their entertainment options. Better Than Ever Cord-cutting used to mean that you were mostly giving up visual entertainment other than movies.  This option almost guaranteed that you would alway...