Shaun Newman Podcast

This week we take a look at the state of a few hyped technologies and see where they really are in terms of usefulness, adoption, and long-term viability. Don thinks VR will never go mainstream and Randy wants a drone to bring him something, ANYTHING, right now.

Don and Randy discuss content management options from the old-school Full Stack apps, WYSIWYG SaaS, and Headless + Static Site Generator options

Join Don and Randy as they explore building applications using Microsoft's Power App platform, integrating Twilio, Trello, Flow, Power Apps, OneDrive, Adaptive Cards, and Microsoft Teams without much code. They discuss transitioning apps from Google Firebase to Microsoft Flow, automating workflows with Twilio, exploring challenges and advantages of Power Apps for non-programmers, enhancing data management with Power Apps in work order systems, and using pre-built tools for small business executives. They also dive into a casual chat about chain crew duties and upcoming bowl games.

Discussion on automation vs programming, focusing on Microsoft's Power Apps and the future of non-coding employment. Exploration of Microsoft's no-code solutions, debugging challenges, and comparison with Google's trust and support. Delving into automation strategies, competition dynamics, and the significance of empowering technology through automation.

Randy's been approached, both at his job and from an external firm, about the need for a CMS. The old stalwarts of Wordpress and Drupal don't seem to work, but the idea of a Static Site Generator and persisted content does. Randy and Don discuss the new products out there that can potentially serve both needs.

Discussion on Twilio's pricing structure, SMS messaging limitations, and new products Proxy and Conversations. Insights on challenges faced by services like Remind 101 with text limits and transitioning from consulting to managerial roles in tech. Reflections on team dynamics and embracing technological advancements in the industry.

Exploring the benefits of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and transitioning from monolithic systems. Discussing the use of message queues, Go programming language challenges, and scalability considerations. Emphasizing the importance of breaking down services in startups for efficiency.

Don has been hearing Randy tell him to quit coding so much and finally does something about it: He decides to build an app without writing a line of code (but not delegating it to someone else) by using Microsoft's Power Apps platform. This week, we discuss everything about PowerApps and how this might be THE FUTURE!

Domino's Pizza recently lost a lawsuit regarding the lack of accessibility features for their online ordering platform. Don and Randy discuss the ramifications of the decision and whether accessibility is worth the time and effort product managers might put into making their products more inclusive.

Chris Coyier recently posted a tweet regarding a front-end developer he knew that "could not build a website." Is this strange? Shouldn't every developer that claims front-end skills be able to prop up a basic site?