Jerod and Adam dive into the evolving perspectives of software development, reflecting on their own journeys and the importance of adaptability. They discuss the utility of REPLs for spontaneous coding and the creative balance needed in development. CSS complexities and the merits of tools like Augment are also explored, emphasizing simplicity and effectiveness. They share personal shifts in attitude towards SQL and the impact of Temporal on state management challenges. The conversations highlight the relationship between tools, productivity, and the role of community in tech.
Brex's partnership with Retool exemplifies how high-quality internal tools can enhance operational efficiency and allow teams to focus on customer-centric development.
The podcast underscores that software developers often change their perspectives on technologies and methodologies as they accumulate experience over time.
A debate arises around the role of REPLs in programming, highlighting their value in exploration despite differing opinions about their effectiveness as design tools.
Participants reflect on the importance of SQL as a universal skill that has gained newfound appreciation compared to ORMs as developers advance in their careers.
Deep dives
Partnership with Brex
Brex, a company focused on providing financial services, has significantly benefited from its long-standing partnership with Retool. Brex emphasizes the importance of high-quality internal tools due to the operational complexity and various challenges faced, like fraud and underwriting. Retool's platform allows Brex to create and deploy internal applications quickly, enabling their engineers to focus on building customer-facing products rather than spending time on internal software solutions. With around a thousand Retool apps in use, Brex has streamlined its operations, enhancing its responsiveness and speed to adapt to market needs.
Changing Minds on Software Development
Discussing the evolution of software development perspectives, the conversation highlights how professionals can change their views as they gain more experience. A specific example given includes an article that outlines how a seasoned developer has altered their opinions regarding various development practices after spending a decade in the industry. The dialogue emphasizes the tendency of developers to reevaluate their stances on technologies, tools, and methodologies as they encounter new challenges and learn from their experiences. This reflects a broader industry trend where seasoned professionals reassess their previously held beliefs.
Value of REPLs in Design
One key insight shared in the podcast is the value of REPLs (Read-Eval-Print Loop) in programming and design. Some participants express the opinion that while REPLs are not particularly useful as design tools, they do serve as effective exploratory environments. The discussion transitions into a debate about whether the exploratory nature of REPLs inherently makes them valuable for achieving design solutions. Ultimately, the conclusion suggests that while opinions may differ, REPLs can facilitate exploration and aid in the design process.
Reflections on Programming Practices
The conversation delves into differing approaches to programming and the philosophy behind software development. One insight shared is that a significant amount of programming thinking should occur before writing any code, which allows for better planning and foresight. While this approach emphasizes the importance of planning, others argue that exploration during coding often yields better design solutions. This discourse underscores the balance developers must find between pre-planning and adaptive problem-solving during the coding process.
Challenges of Collaboration in Teams
Navigating team dynamics and collaboration remains a common challenge for those in the tech industry. The discussion touches upon the myriad of tools available that promise seamless collaboration, yet frequently fall short of expectations. Acknowledging such struggles, participants express the difficulty of finding a tool that meets everyone's needs while competing with existing platforms. This highlights that effective collaboration often relies more on people skills and communication rather than the specific tools being used.
Learning SQL for Developers
A shift in mindset towards the importance of learning SQL is explored in the podcast as participants reflect on their careers. Initially, SQL was dismissed as cumbersome, with a preference for ORMs (Object-Relational Mappers) taking precedence. However, as they gained more experience, the value of SQL became evident as a universal skill applicable across different databases and projects. The conversation emphasizes that understanding SQL may become increasingly beneficial as language models currently being developed improve, enabling developers to harness their potential effectively.
Experimenting with Local AI Solutions
An exciting conversation unfolds around running AI models locally on personal machines, highlighting the accessible technology available today. The participants discuss their experiences setting up Docker, LLMs, and other AI frameworks, noting the challenges and triumphs they've encountered along the way. With local AI solutions becoming more feasible, there's a strong interest in how these technologies can enhance productivity, accelerate development processes, and foster innovative applications. This exploration of local AI setups showcases a fascinating intersection of personal computing and advanced machine learning.
Jerod and Adam use Chris Kiehl’s post on development topics he’s changed his mind on (over the last 10 years) as a proxy for discussion on dev things they HAVE and HAVE NOT changed their minds on.
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Sponsors:
Retool – The low-code platform for developers to build internal tools — Some of the best teams out there trust Retool…Brex, Coinbase, Plaid, Doordash, LegalGenius, Amazon, Allbirds, Peloton, and so many more – the developers at these teams trust Retool as the platform to build their internal tools. Try it free at retool.com/changelog
Augment Code – Developer AI that uses deep understanding of your large codebase and how you build software to deliver personalized code suggestions and insights. Augment provides relevant, contextualized code right in your IDE or Slack. It transforms scattered knowledge into code or answers, eliminating time spent searching docs or interrupting teammates.
Temporal – Build invincible applications. Manage failures, network outages, flaky endpoints, long-running processes and more, ensuring your workflows never fail. Register for Replay in London, March 3-5 to break free from the status quo.
Fly.io – The home of Changelog.com — Deploy your apps close to your users — global Anycast load-balancing, zero-configuration private networking, hardware isolation, and instant WireGuard VPN connections. Push-button deployments that scale to thousands of instances. Check out the speedrun to get started in minutes.
