Legacy Code Rocks

We seldomly dive deep into discussing any particular programming language on this show. However, today we are making an exception, and we talk with Chrissy LeMaire about PowerShell. Chrissy is a GitHub star, double Microsoft MVP, and a co-author of the book Learn dbatools in a Month of Lunches. She is currently a blue teamer who uses PowerShell to make the world more secure. Chrissy shares some neat PowerShell secrets that transform this framework from an ideal programming language for beginners to a well-rounded and powerful developing tool.  When you finish listening to the episode, connect with Chrissy on Twitter, get dbatools at https://dbatools.io and check out Chrissy’s book Learn dbatools in a Month of Lunches. Mentioned in this episode: Chrissy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/cl  dbatools at https://dbatools.io  Chrissy LeMaire, Rob Sewell, Jess Pomfret, Cláudio Silva, Learn dbatools in a Month of Lunches at https://www.manning.com/books/learn-dbatools-in-a-month-of-lunches Steve McConnell, Code Complete: A Practical Handbook of Software Construction, 2nd Ed, at https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+code+complete&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

We behave with the cloud as a subset of technology like a teen who just learned how to drive. We are at the point where capabilities have far exceeded the ability to comprehend consequences. We have the power in our hands to change our life and other people's lives both in positive and negative ways. However, we lack the experience to foresee these results.  Today we talk with Bobby Allen, Vice President of Strategic Alliances at Turbonomic and cloud therapist. He helps us understand the advantages and pitfalls of the cloud and teaches us how to assess our own needs and the risks we might face while using the technology.  When you finish listening to the episode, make sure to connect with Bobby on Twitter and LinkedIn, and visit his website at https://bobbyjallen.me.  Mentioned in this episode: Bobby on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ballen-clt/ Bobby on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ballen_clt Bobby’s website at https://bobbyjallen.me Turbonomic at https://www.turbonomic.com 

Technical debt is a recurring theme of this show. We talk about it almost as often as it pops out in any legacy code! Today we go back to discussing technical debt with Jim Humelsine. Jim has been a software development professional since 1985. Jim's passion is design patterns, but he recently expanded his interest to software practices and procedures. Jim is also an economics and especially game theory enthusiast, and on top of everything, he is a trombone player! We dive deep with Jim into the economics of technical debt, the root causes of its ever-presence, and the ways to get rid of it. When you finish listening to the episode, make sure to connect with Jim on Twitter and LinkedIn.  Mentioned in this episode: Jim on Twitter at https://twitter.com/jhumelsine Jim on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-humelsine-16b0749/ Freakonomics podcast at https://freakonomics.com/archive/

Many legacy systems lack adequate test coverage. They might not have much coverage at all, or the existing tests might be inefficient or paint a wrong picture about the stability of the system. Enhancing test coverage in legacy applications is a complex task with many pitfalls.  Today we talk with Floyd Hilton, a software developer with many years of experience in multiple domains, including semiconductor manufacturing, financial aid delivery, energy conservation, and healthcare. He co-founded the Augusta Polyglot Group, which meets once a month to teach and learn new languages. Floyd's current interest is in finding the best strategies for adding testing to existing software systems. He shares with us some of these strategies and the tools he uses when beefing up test coverage in legacy systems.  When you finish listening to the episode, make sure to connect with Floyd on Twitter and LinkedIn, and visit his website at http://www.floydhilton.com,  Mentioned in this episode: Floyd on Twitter at https://twitter.com/fhilton Floyd on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/floydhilton/ Floyd’s website at http://www.floydhilton.com Augusta Polyglot Group at https://augusta-polyglot.github.io DbUp at https://dbup.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ Cypress at https://www.cypress.io 

There has been a noticeable uptick in the adoption of public cloud providers. At the same time, the voices advocating for the abandonment of traditional data centers are getting louder. Keeping servers around to keep running their business might be overkill for many companies. For others, it could be the only reasonable choice. And even if you decide to transition to the cloud, how do you know which of its features you need?  Today we talk to Sarah Musick, the systems engineering principal at CloudGenera, a workload placement decision engine, where she spearheads the onboarding efforts with enterprise customers. Sarah is a big believer in the targeted adoption of the public cloud in tech - the approach based on the understanding that the cloud should serve the application rather than the other way around. She helps us understand how to assess our data management needs and how to choose the options that best serve those needs.   When you finish listening to the episode, make sure you connect with Sarah on LinkedIn and visit CloudGenera website. Mentioned in this episode: Sarah Musick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlmusick/  CloudGenera Website: https://go.cloudgenera.com 

Eric Normand, an experienced functional programmer, discusses legacy code, abstract data transformations, and the importance of immutability and invariance in functional programming. He explores the differences in reasoning and control between functional and object-oriented programming and shares his experiences working with old computers and transitioning to PCs.

Software engineers perceive that technology advances in an orderly, linear fashion. This makes the novelties very attractive. However, the reality is that we tend to go through technology in cycles.  Recognizing this is crucial for understanding how to make the right technical decisions while preserving the value of the old technology.  Is it better to build from scratch or build on what you have? When do you invest in something brand new, and when do you lean onto the foundations of the existing expertise?  Today we search for answers to these questions with Marianne Bellotti, the author of Kill It with Fire –Manage Aging Computer Systems (and Futureproof Modern Ones). Marianne is internationally known for tackling some of the oldest, messiest, and most complicated computer systems in the world, and she currently runs identity and access control at Rebellion Defense.  When you finish listening to the episode, make sure you follow Marianne on Twitter and get a copy of her book. Mentioned in this episode: Marianne Bellotti on Twitter at https://twitter.com/bellmar  Marianne Bellotti, Kill It with Fire –Manage Aging Computer Systems (and Futureproof Modern Ones) at https://www.amazon.com/Kill-Fire-Manage-Computer-Systems/dp/1718501188   Rebellion Defence at https://rebelliondefense.com

For most teams, dependency freshness is a pain that is often ignored. “If it works –don’t change it” is the prevailing attitude, but as a lot of applications become web-focused, dependencies inevitably start gaining traction. Why does dependency freshness matter, and how do we proactively stay on top of it?  Today we present Freshli - the dependency freshness tool we have been working on. The microphone goes to the team involved: Cassandra Carothers, Technical Sales Manager here at Corgibytes, and Catalina De la Cuesta, Chris Cumming, and Dave Farinelli, our Lead Code Whisperers. The Freshli tool captures historical libyear metrics about a project's dependencies. Freshli stays alongside your codebase and works together with code quality tools, showing where your project is going overtime. It is designed to work with multiple languages, and it currently supports Ruby, Perl, Python, PHP, and .NET.   If you are interested to know more about Freshli, make sure you reach out to our team on LinkedIn after you’ve listened to the episode. Mentioned in this episode: Cassandra Carothers at linkedin.com/in/cassandramcarothers/ Catalina De la Cuesta at linkedin.com/in/catalinadelacuesta/  Dave Farinelli at linkedin.com/in/dfar-io/ Chris Cumming at linkedin.com/in/chris-cumming/ Libyear at https://libyear.com Corgibytes at https://corgibytes.com Freshli at GitHub at https://github.com/corgibytes/freshli-lib 

When developers talk about what they find exciting, they usually talk about new things. Very little content is about the actual job, about working in the existing system. When they do talk about legacy, they usually focus on how much they hate it. Where does that animosity come from and how do we confront it? Today we get to the bottom of it with Barry O’Sullivan. Barry is a modern web development contractor with 15 years of experience in legacy web applications. He is the founder of DDIE and the co-organizer of PHP Dublin. We discuss the fear response to legacy code, the mocking of those who created it, and the ignorance of those who are quick to mock. We look at the common mistakes that lead to the fear of legacy code and discuss some common-sense solutions to overcome what is essentially a social and skill-based problem with technology.   When you are done listening to the episode, make sure you connect with Barry on LinkedIn, and follow him on Twitter and Github. Mentioned in this episode: Barry O’Sullivan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barryosu/  Barry O’Sullivan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/barryosull  Barry O’Sullivan on Github: https://github.com/barryosull Barry O’Sullivan on the web: https://barryosull.com  PHP Dublin: https://www.meetup.com/PHP-Dublin/  Matthew Stewart, The Management Myth: Debunking Modern Business Philosophy: https://www.amazon.com/Management-Myth-Debunking-Business-Philosophy/dp/0393338525 

We like to think that technology is our objective and neutral assistant, our faithful lieutenant constrained with science and armed with cold, hard data. But this is incorrect. Technology reflects the attitudes of humans who created it. It contains our biases and our preconceived notions. It reflects who we are while distorting our perception of who we think we are, transforming our impulse for binary simplifications into the strict binary framework of ones and zeroes. Inevitably, this leaves some folks out.  Today we talk with Erin White, Head of digital engagement at Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries in Richmond, VA, on their fascination with the intersections of equity, justice, and computer systems. Erin tells us how technology can both advance and hamper the achievements of social equality, and how inclusive software design can help us realize our own biases and remove them from our code.  After you finish listening to the episode, make sure you connect with Erin on LinkedIn and Twitter, where they write about technology and progressive politics. Mentioned in this episode: Erin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinrwhite/  Erin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/erinrwhite  Erin White, Trans-Inclusive Design at https://alistapart.com/article/trans-inclusive-design/