The Scripting Den Podcast

In this episode of "The Scripting Den Podcast" I dive into one of the most debated questions in today’s software development world: Should you use AI to code at work?  During the episode we explore how AI tools like GitHub Copilot and Tabnine can boost productivity by automating repetitive coding tasks and accelerating prototyping. He also examines the potential downsides—such as skill d...

In this episode, I dive deep into one of the most pressing topics in tech today: AI ethics . I try to explore how well-meaning developers can unintentionally create AI systems that harm society. From bias in AI models to privacy concerns, accountability challenges, and even the environmental impact of AI, this episode is packed with insights every developer needs to hear. By the end of the episode...

Understanding how to prepare for your first technical interview, and what to expect from the process is not easy. Companies will have their own hiring process, and some of them will confuse you with their own process getting you to think all of them are like that. Whiteboard coding, for instance, that's one of the worst things you can do during a technical interview, however, it's a very...

If you haven't been living under a rock, you might've heard about this specific type of NoSQL database being mentioned quite often lately. Now, why do you think that is? In fact, do you know what a Vector database actually is? And what you can do with it? In this episode I go over all those questions, eventually hitting the actual answer that prompted this episode: Why is everyone ( and...

Many developers avoid using AI in their day-to-day simply because they don't know how to use it. Maybe you're one of them? If reading AI automatically takes you to Copilot then you need to listen/watch to this episode. In this episode I cover 4 different ways in which AI can help you be a more efficient developer, and 2 of those are what I call BBTs (Big Boring Tasks) that are made a lot...

In today's episode I got to interview Dave Thomas, co-author of one of the most influential books in our industry: The Pragmatic Programmer. During the interview, we talk about the potential impact of LLMs (like Claude or ChatGPT) on the software development profession. Will we still be developing in the same way and following the same principles (some of which were actually coined by Dave on...

Have you considered using AI as part of your dev workflow? Are you aware of all the benefits LLMs can bring to the table? Some companies fear AI simply because of misconceptions, or just lack of understanding. In this episode I cover the reasons why developers should include LLMs into their workflow and some of the best practices to keep in mind during that implementation process. Interesting link...

Sometimes as developers we spend way too much time thinking about the "perfect" tech stack for our projects, and while that doesn't exists, there are some considerations that you can take to make a somewhat smart decision when deciding on what tech to use. Some of the factors that can help you decide on your tech stack are: The complexity of your project. Your team's expertise...

Where do you prefer to work, smaller startups with very small teams? Or huge multi-national companies where your team is just one of many inside a big department? Have you tried both worlds? I have! And in this episode, I share my own experience of what it's like to work for small, young startups, more mature ones and then making the jump into big, multinational companies. Is there one better...

Unit tests are usually 2nd (if not 3rd) class citizens in any codebase, teams usually work on them only once they're done with all the "important" features. However, if you do it like that, chances are those tests will eventually start slowing your development process down. They will affect your coding, and your deployment pipelines, affecting your time-to-resolution metrics or even...

Getting burned out by a side project is, sadly, quite common in our industry. While side projects are not mandatory for developers, they are quite common. Whether your own side project is technical or not is irrelevant, if you're not careful about it, you will end up burned out by it. So to help you avoid that tragic end, and keep enjoying your side project, I've recorded this episode lo...

In this new episode of the podcast, I get to talk about how IT (or the dev department) should align with the Business and what strategies are there to do it. Remember, IT and Business are not always aligned, to the point that sometimes IT is neglected and treated as a second-class department that is there only to follow everyone else's direction. So in this episode I talk about the benefits t...

In this information-packed episode, I got to interview Bret Fisher, DevOps expert, YouTuber, Course creator and more. If you're new to the DevOps space, or just working adjacently to it, this episode covers everything you ever wanted to know about DevOps but were too afraid to ask. Meet Bret YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/@BretFisher Website : https://www.bretfisher.com Bret's Discord...

In this episode I got to interview the great Tapas Adhikary, he's been working as a developer for 16 years, and recently launched his own startup, and has been successfully growing ever since. During this episode, he shares the entire journey to becoming his own boss, from saving up for years, planning, finding the right partner and even the impact that his YouTube channel and Twitter activit...

What exactly does it mean for your application to scale? How do you architect its backend so you make sure there is room for scaling? In this episode I cover different tips and techniques you can apply to your backend architecture to help it scale. The main topics covered are : The benefits of microservices. Add load balancing. Downside of stateful microservices. Look after your databases. Switch...

In this episode, I cover 5 open-source licenses that every developer dealing with open-source (either creating it or using it) should be aware of. In this episode I also talk about what open-source actually is and how it affects the overall software industry. The licenses covered in this episode are the following: GPL MIT Apache BSD Mozilla Public License  If you'd like to know more and learn...

In this episode I cover some of the basic skills you should focus on learning or perfecting if you're looking to become a backend developer. Are these all the technologies/skills to focus on? Absolutely not! This is just a starting point. There are many more aspects of the role to look into, and that is why I'm also linking some extra articles below. Enjoy the episode! Top skills mention...

In this episode, I'm covering some of the tasks that as developers we need to worry about, even when they're not really about coding. As developers, we're often faced with tasks that are just not "fun", like tracking our work, going into meetings, etc. Truth is, all "cool developers" tend to say they avoid them, however instead of avoiding them, if you understand...

In this episode I got to interview Santosh Yadav, Developer, GDE and Github Star about his own Open Source journey. During the episode, we discuss different topics around the practicality and usefulness of contributing to Open Source for new developers. As well as how easy it is, in reality, to get started down that path. If you're interested in learning more about how to contribute to Open S...

In this episode I try to answer the age-old question: are microservices really better than monoliths? What do you think? During the episode talk about: - What exactly is a monolith? - What exactly are microservices? - What are the implications of going monolith? - The implications of going microservices. - Main differences and final verdict. Get in touch! X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/deleteman...

Kind of a long episode, but in these 40-ish minutes I cover everything you need to know about the process of going from dev to tech lead. I recall how my particular process was, and how I became a tech lead for the first time, what went wrong, and what went right. I also cover what to expect and what makes a great tech lead, as well as some tips to go through the change and not die trying. Links o...

In this short episode, I cover the topic of "Culture vs Code" when building development teams. What should be the priority? And the type of effects prioritizing one over the other will have on the dev team. In the end, I also provide some advice on how to build a successful and welcoming culture for your dev teams, so make sure you listen until the end! Get in touch! X (Twitter): https:/...

In this episode I got to interview the JavaScript Messiah himself: Sergii Kirianov. Sergii is a former seaman who after 10 years of working at sea decided to switch careers and become a developer. During this episode, Sergii shares his journey, how he managed to start learning development, how much time he spent doing it until he landed his first job. Interesting links: CS50 from Hardvard : https:...

As developers, if we're not constantly updating ourselves, we're easily replaced by others who do.  So how can you stay up-to-date in our industry without collapsing under the weight of all the new technologies being released every day? Here's the gist of the episode: Figure out the best way for you to learn new concepts.  Start curating sources of information to understand what&apo...

In this week's episode, I got to interview Natalia Venditto, ex-MVP and current GDE, working on JavaScript tooling in Microsoft. She's been working with JavaScript for a long time and shares her insights into how best to stay updated without getting burned out by the ever-changing JS ecosystem. We also cover some great advice about how to pick your information sources that will help you...