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Carson Gross: The Grug Brained Developer (the book)

May 27, 2025
Carson Gross, author of "Grug Brain Dev" and a web development educator, discusses the concept of the 'Grug Brained Developer'—a humorous take on simplifying programming. He shares insights on the complex web development landscape, including the challenges of managing feature requests and the importance of testing strategies. Gross emphasizes navigating complexity, the impact of database performance, and the balance between clarity and confusion in coding. The conversation also touches on fostering a supportive developer culture and the journey of transforming an essay into a book.
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INSIGHT

Complexity Is The Eternal Enemy

  • Overthinking and overcomplicating problems often cause developer struggles.
  • "Complexity bad" should be a guiding mantra to maintain simplicity in code.
ANECDOTE

Carson's Diverse Developer Journey

  • Carson Gross started professional web development in the Java boom despite little knowledge.
  • His experience spans from Visual Basic to Rails and hypermedia style applications.
ADVICE

Learn The Power Of Saying No

  • Say no to features to reduce essential complexity when possible.
  • Judicious refusal can keep software simpler and more maintainable.
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