Guest Greg Wilson has spent decades revolutionizing software design education and bridging the gap between theory and practice. He shares his failures and epiphanies. Topics include the power of profilers, teaching elegance of shell scripts, creating a shared language for software architecture, and teaching software design to scientists.
Software Carpentry workshops have empowered scientists to expedite their research and accelerate scientific discovery through programming skills.
Greg Wilson's work aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice in software design, providing a shared vocabulary and real-world examples.
Wilson's workshops have helped scientists overcome technical challenges, increasing their productivity and allowing them to focus on their scientific goals.
Deep dives
Teaching Grad Students to Build Sawhorses
Greg Wilson, the founder of Software Carpentry, has been teaching grad students the basics of programming, Python, Unix, and tool usage. His workshops have had a major impact on researchers, giving them the skills to expedite their research and accelerate scientific discovery. By teaching the fundamentals and empowering researchers to use programming as a tool, Wilson has played a significant role in increasing the productivity and efficiency of scientific computing. The workshops have been a hit, with participants realizing the potential of these skills and feeling empowered to tackle complex problems more effectively.
Advancing the Field of Software Design
Greg Wilson has been working to advance the field of software design through his publications and books. His Architecture of Open Source Application series has sparked discussions about what makes for great design and offers real-world code bases as examples. Wilson believes that developing a vocabulary for discussing software aesthetics and design trade-offs is crucial. By drawing on real-world examples from different software projects, developers can have more informed discussions and make design decisions based on proven approaches. Wilson's work aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice and elevate the discussion around software design and architecture.
From Beautiful Code to Software Design
Greg Wilson's book, Beautiful Code, brought together contributors who shared their insights on what makes software beautiful. While the book may have been too advanced for undergraduates, it sparked discussions among contributors and pushed the field forward. Greg's goal was to establish a conversation around software aesthetics and elevate the discussion around software design. He believes that the field has a long way to go in terms of developing a shared vocabulary and providing concrete examples of beautiful software design. Wilson continues his efforts to promote the importance of software design and encourage discussions among developers.
Teaching Software Engineering to Scientists
Greg Wilson founded Software Carpentry to teach basic programming and software engineering skills to scientists and researchers. He recognized that many scientists lacked these skills, which hindered their ability to analyze and process large datasets efficiently. By introducing scientists to tools like Python, Unix, and version control, Wilson helped them expedite their work and become more productive in their research. His workshops empower scientists to build their own 'sawhorses,' enabling them to overcome technical challenges and focus on their scientific goals. By bridging the gap between scientific research and software engineering, Wilson has had a significant impact on the productivity of scientists around the world.
The Legacy of Greg Wilson
Greg Wilson's legacy lies in his dedication to teaching and empowering others in the field of software development. Through his workshops, books, and contributions to the software engineering community, Wilson has bridged the gap between theory and practice, encouraging discussions on software design and elevating the importance of design aesthetics. His impact can be seen in the increased productivity and efficiency of researchers and the growing recognition of the need for software engineering skills across various scientific disciplines. Wilson's continued efforts to promote software design and education ensure that future generations of developers and scientists will benefit from his contributions.
Greg Wilson has been on a decades-long quest to transform how we teach and talk about software design. From getting rejections for using the term “beautiful code,” to empowering scientists through workshops on Python and Unix, Greg has pushed to bridge the gap between theory and practice.
Join us as Greg shares his failures and epiphanies along the way. You’ll hear how he revolutionized research computing by showing physicists the power of profilers. How he taught grad students the elegance of shell scripts. And how he’s crusaded to create a shared language to discuss software architecture with the nuance of true craftsmanship.
Greg’s captivating journey reveals that with perseverance and the right examples, we can elevate software design discussion to an art form. But that we’ve got a long way to go. You’ll come away enlightened and eager to level up your own understanding of software design.