Whiskey Web and Whatnot: Web Development, Neat

Why Most Developers Overcomplicate Everything w/ Aaron Francis

Mar 20, 2025

Aaron Francis, a Laravel developer and co-founder of Try Hard Studios, dives into the world of web development, sharing insights on developer education and the evolution of frameworks. He discusses the trade-offs between Laravel and Rails, advocating for the simplicity of PHP. You'll hear his hot takes on Tailwind vs. Vanilla CSS, and practical advice on Git practices. Plus, he humorously touches on working from non-traditional home offices and balancing family life within the tech realm.

01:04:18

Episode guests

Aaron Francis

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Aaron Francis emphasizes the importance of developer education, focusing on practical skills in frameworks like Laravel and Rails.

The discussion highlights the social elements of enjoying whiskey while engaging in meaningful conversations about life and tech.

Aaron shares his aspirations for a career shift towards land rejuvenation, blending sustainability with educational community workshops.

Deep dives

Introduction to Aaron Francis

Aaron Francis introduces himself as a father of four, including two sets of twins, and a Laravel developer. He co-founded Try Hard Studios, focusing on developer education with courses on SQLite, Postgres, and recently Rails. His entrepreneurial venture reflects a shift in his career from traditional development roles to education and open-source work. The discussion highlights the unique challenges and joys of balancing a career in tech while raising a large family.

Intro

2min

A Journey in Developer Education and Naming Inspirations

2min

Casual Conversations on Pop Culture and Bourbon Tasting

2min

Whiskey, Gin, and Family Tales

9min

Innovative Workspaces and Development Debates

17min

Navigating Framework Complexities: Laravel vs Rails in Web Development

5min

Balancing Development and Family Life

26min

Light-Hearted Farewells and Family Humor

2min

This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Aaron Francis about developer education, Laravel vs. Rails, and the evolution of full-stack development. They explore the trade-offs of opinionated frameworks, the practicality of PHP, and why simplicity often wins. Plus, Aaron shares his hot takes on modern web dev trends, and the joys of working from a home-office-that’s-not-home.

In this episode:

(00:00) - Intro
(01:19) - Meet Aaron Francis
(03:28) - Whiskey intro and rating: Green River Distilling Co. Full Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
(14:32) - The home office that’s not at home
(17:44) - Tailwind vs Vanilla CSS
(18:52) - Git Rebase vs Git Merge
(21:44) - Let vs Const
(25:40) - Rails vs Laravel
(33:23) - Challenges of full stack frameworks
(48:18) - Aaron’s staycation birthday present
(50:38) - Two sets of twins
(56:56) - Family vehicles
(59:59) - What Aaron would do if not in tech
(01:01:20) - Plugs

Links

Mostly Technical: https://mostlytechnical.com/
Laravel: https://laravel.com/
SQLite: https://www.sqlite.org/
Postgres: https://www.postgresql.org/
Rails: https://rubyonrails.org/
Screencasting: https://screencasting.com
Try Hard Studios: https://tryhardstudios.com/
Ryan Reynolds: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Reynolds
Green River Distilling: https://greenriverwhiskey.com/
Norlan: https://norlanglass.com
Tailwind CSS: https://tailwindcss.com/
Taylor Otwell: https://x.com/taylorotwell
DHH: https://x.com/dhh/
Tuple: https://tuple.app/
Ben Orenstein: https://x.com/r00k
The Car Mom: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCarMom

Connect with Aaron

Website: https://aaronfrancis.com
X / Twitter: https://x.com/aarondfrancis
Mastering Postgres: https://masteringpostgres.com/
High Performance SQLite: https://highperformancesqlite.com/
Screencasting: https://screencasting.com/

Connect with Chuck and Robbie

Robbie Wagner: https://x.com/RobbieTheWagner
Chuck Carpenter: https://x.com/CharlesWthe3rd

Subscribe and stay in touch

Website: https://whiskey.fm
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whiskey-web-and-whatnot/id1552776603
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/19jiuHAqzeKnkleQUpZxDf
Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1552776603
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WhiskeyWebAndWhatnot

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Whiskey Web and Whatnot: Web Development, Neat

Why Most Developers Overcomplicate Everything w/ Aaron Francis

Episode guests