#116 She wrote code you use every day – GitHub dev and Electron JS pioneer Jessica Lord
Mar 22, 2024
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Explore Jessica Lord's transition from architecture to tech, her role in creating Github's Electron team, and insights on open-source development. Learn about her childhood in Georgia, Code for America fellowship, and experiences at GitHub. Delve into the evolution of Electron and the challenges of organizational changes in tech companies.
Electron emerged from Atom Shell at GitHub to provide a balanced solution for desktop app development with web technologies.
Recognizing Electron's potential, GitHub transitioned it from an internal tool to a widely used framework with dedicated support.
Electron's ecosystem thrived through permissionless innovation, overcoming resistance, and attracting diverse desktop application developers.
Transitioning from software engineering to product management at GitHub allowed strategic decision-making and user-centric development opportunities.
Deep dives
The Genesis of Electron
Electron was born out of the internal tool called Atom Shell, created to build the Atom IDE at GitHub. It emerged from the limitations of other libraries like NW.js and NW, offering a balanced solution for building desktop apps with web technologies. Initially open-source, it was focused solely on building Atom but grew organically into a versatile tool for desktop app development.
The Evolution and Adoption of Electron
Initially internal to GitHub, Electron gained traction as Microsoft adopted it for their text editor project. The decision was made to rebrand Atom Shell as Electron to avoid confusion with Atom. Despite initial resistance, Electron's potential was recognized, leading to dedicated focus, roadmaps, and documentation to support its growth.
Challenges and Thriving Ecosystem
The transition from an internal tool to a widely used framework came with challenges. An initially loose structure led to permissionless innovation, with individuals driving its early development steps. Overcoming resistance and solidifying its purpose, Electron's ecosystem thrived, attracting developers to build diverse desktop applications.
Product Management Journey
Transitioning from a software engineer to a product manager at GitHub marked a significant shift for the individual. Stepping into a role that focused on building the right products at the right time, the shift to product management provided avenues for strategic decision-making, prioritizing features, and ensuring user-centric development.
Transition from Github to Other Companies
Discussing the transition from working at Github to other tech companies, Jessica shares insights into her choice to move on and explore different opportunities, highlighting the importance of diversity and dynamic experiences in shaping her career path.
Involvement in Urban Planning and Civic Tech
Engaging in urban planning and civic tech initiatives, Jessica delves into her passion for using technology to empower communities and enhance urban environments, recounting her contributions to open-source urban design tools and collaborations with non-profits to address mobility and public health challenges.
Future Directions and Personal Insights
Reflecting on past experiences and potential future endeavors, Jessica remains open to diverse possibilities, emphasizing the value of collaboration, continuous learning, and making meaningful impacts in realms such as developer tools, product development, and community-driven solutions to urban challenges.
In this week's episode of the podcast, freeCodeCamp founder Quincy Larson interviews Jessica Lord, AKA JLord. She's worked as a software engineer for more than a decade at companies like GitHub and Glitch.
Among her many accomplishments, Jessica created the Electon team at GitHub. Electron is a library for building desktop apps using browser technologies. If you've used the desktop version of Slack, Figma, or VS Code, you've used Electron.
I recorded this podcast live and I haven't edited it at all. I want to capture the feel of a real live conversation, with all the human quirks that entails. As with all my podcast episodes, I start by performing a classic bass line. Can you guess what song this bass line is from? It's a "cult" hit from 1990.
Be sure to follow The freeCodeCamp podcast in your favorite podcast app. And share this podcast with a friend. Let's inspire more folks to learn to code and build careers for themselves in tech.
Also, I want to thank the 8,427 kind people who support our charity each month, and who make this podcast possible. You can join them and support our mission at: https://www.freecodecamp.org/donate
Links we talk about during the interview:
GitIt, Jessica's interactive Git course on Node School: https://github.com/jlord/git-it
Jessica's old craft blog (you may get an HTTPS warning from your browser but the site is just an old Blogspot site): http://www.ecabonline.com/
JSBin founder Remy Sharp's blog about JSBin and how he "lost his love of his side project": https://remysharp.com/2015/09/14/jsbin-toxic-part-1
Subdivisions song by Rush that Quincy mentions. Great early morning listening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYYdQB0mkEU
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