Compiled Conversations

We continue our conversation with Scott Wlaschin, author of “Domain Modeling Made Functional” and creator of the popular F# for Fun and Profit blog, as we dive into functional programming concepts and how they naturally complement domain-driven design. In this episode, we explore the practical aspects of functional programming - from understanding what makes a language functional to implementing robust error handling patterns and modeling domain concepts functionally. Topics include: What functional programming really means The difference between the FP paradigm and FP languages Why functional languages make certain patterns natural (immutability, currying, partial application) Railway-oriented programming and functional error handling patterns How functional programming approaches dependency injection differently Three types of errors: panics, domain exceptions, and infrastructure errors How functional programming helps with domain modeling through composable data types Pipeline-oriented programming and workflow modeling Modeling DDD concepts functionally: entities, value objects, and aggregates Why functional programming language usage is still less common than OO languages AI’s impact on programming and the importance of domain expertise Learning strategies and the value of multi-paradigm programming Scott also shares insights on why he prefers using languages “with the grain” rather than forcing paradigms where they don’t fit naturally. He demonstrates practical examples of how functional programming makes domain modeling more explicit and testable, while discussing the trade-offs between different programming paradigms and when each is most appropriate. We conclude with Scott’s thoughts on AI in software development - why it’s a tool for augmentation rather than replacement, the importance of understanding fundamentals, and how the subscription model might impact the industry. This is Part 2 of a 2-part series. In Part 1 , we explored the fundamentals of domain-driven design - including strategic vs. tactical DDD, (sub)domains, bounded contexts, ubiquitous language, and the critical importance of communication in software design. Show Links Scott Wlaschin’s Website Scott Wlaschin on X/Twitter Scott Wlaschin on Bluesky Scott Wlaschin on GitHub F# for Fun and Profit Domain Modeling Made Functional Railway-Oriented Programming Starbucks Does Not Use Two-Phase Commit Understanding F# types Thinking Functionally Commit Strip - A very comprehensive and precise spec Moving IO to the edges of your app: Functional Core, Imperative Shell Path dependence

We’re joined by Scott Wlaschin, author of “Domain Modeling Made Functional” and creator of the popular F# for Fun and Profit blog, to explore the powerful pairing of domain-driven design (DDD) and functional programming. In Part 1 we explore the fundamentals of DDD - not as a rigid methodology, but as a communication-first approach to building software that actually solves real problems. Scott shares his journey from Smalltalk developer to functional programming advocate, and how he discovered that DDD and functional programming are natural companions. We dive deep into why most software projects fail not because of technical issues, but because developers don’t listen to what users actually want. Topics include: Strategic vs. tactical DDD - and why most people focus on the wrong part What domains and subdomains really are (hint: they already exist in your business) Core, supporting, and generic subdomains - and where to focus your effort Bounded contexts and why boundaries matter for both code and project management Ubiquitous language - the ’everywhere’ language or common language The “garbage in, garbage out” principle and why good inputs matter more than perfect code Shared mental models Event storming and domain storytelling as discovery techniques Fighting the impulse toward database-driven or class-driven design Conway’s Law and the reverse Conway manoeuvre for team organisation Scott also shares practical examples from his experience, including his work at a skincare company where he became a domain expert on cosmetic formulations and built one of his most successful products through constant communication with experts. Whether you’re new to DDD or have been burned by overly complex implementations, this episode offers a refreshing perspective on what domain-driven design really means - and why it’s fundamentally about empathy, communication, and solving the right problems. This is Part 1 of a 2-part series. In Part 2 , we’ll explore functional programming concepts, how they complement DDD, and practical techniques for modeling domains functionally. Show Links Scott Wlaschin’s Website Scott Wlaschin on X/Twitter Scott Wlaschin on Bluesky Scott Wlaschin on GitHub F# for Fun and Profit Domain Modeling Made Functional Three Devs and a Maybe - Domain Modeling Made Functional EventStorming Domain Storytelling Conway’s Law Dan North - Accelerating Agile Chesterton’s Fence

Ashley Hindle, creator of Laravel Boost, joins us to explore the practical side of AI-assisted development - from understanding core concepts to implementing real-world solutions. We start by breaking down the AI landscape, explaining how artificial intelligence, machine learning, generative AI, and large language models connect. Ashley shares his journey from building AI-driven features since OpenAI’s first API release to creating Laravel Boost, a comprehensive package that accelerates AI-assisted development in Laravel projects. The conversation covers everything from prompting techniques and context management to the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and how it enables AI agents to interact with external tools and services. We dive deep into Laravel Boost’s architecture, including its 16 MCP tools for database querying, browser log monitoring, and version-specific documentation search. Topics include: AI fundamentals: understanding AI, ML, GenAI, and LLMs Prompting techniques: zero-shot, few-shot, chain of thought, and context engineering Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) and vector embeddings LLM agents: the “fancy while loop” that powers autonomous AI systems Model Context Protocol (MCP): enabling AI agents to access external tools Laravel Boost: structured guidelines, MCP tools, and version-specific documentation Development workflows: refactoring, bug fixes, new features, and project scaffolding Testing strategies in the AI era and why tests are more important than ever Practical advice for developers starting their AI journey Ashley also shares insights on the evolution from simple autocomplete to full task completion, the importance of maintaining responsibility for production code, and how to balance AI assistance with human oversight. We discuss the challenges of context management, the role of guidelines and rules in steering AI behavior, and the future of AI benchmarking in development. Whether you’re new to AI or looking to optimise your development workflow, this episode provides practical guidance on integrating AI tools effectively while maintaining code quality and developer responsibility. Show Links Ashley Hindle’s Website Ashley Hindle on X/Twitter Ashley Hindle on Bluesky Ashley Hindle on LinkedIn Laravel Boost Laravel Boost on GitHub Model Context Protocol (MCP) How to Build an Agent opencode Claude Desktop Claude Code Cursor IDE ChatGPT Codex OpenAI API Kiro Anthropic’s YouTube Channel Andrej Karpathy’s YouTube Channel The future of agentic coding with Claude Code Interpretability: Understanding how AI models think Conductor Trello board for my local projects Vibe Coding Book (Gene Kim & Steve Yegg) Whisper (Speech Recognition) Tiktokenizer

Bruce Momjian, a pivotal figure in the PostgreSQL community since 1996, delves into the rich 39-year history of Postgres, highlighting its origins and extensibility. He discusses how notable features like JSONB and PostGIS emerged thanks to its open-source community. Bruce tackles the complexities of implementing transparent data encryption, the nuances of sharding, and the balance between performance and storage options. He emphasizes the importance of staying engaged within the community and explores the evolution of PostgreSQL amidst cloud computing and modern data demands.

Vlad Khononov, a software architect and author of 'Learning Domain-Driven Design', dives into advanced DDD concepts. He discusses real-world implementations like CQRS and context mapping patterns. Vlad emphasizes the importance of collaborative modeling techniques, drawing lessons from Formula One racing about accuracy in software models. He also explores the intersection of DDD and team dynamics, and how AI can enhance software architecture. Listeners will gain valuable insights into managing team ownership and practical strategies for adopting DDD without overwhelm.

In this enlightening discussion, Vlad Khononov, a seasoned software engineer and author, unravels the complexities of Domain-Driven Design (DDD). He emphasizes the importance of aligning software with business strategies rather than just focusing on code. Vlad explains the roles of subdomains and bounded contexts, helping teams navigate the intricacies of architecture. He also debunks common myths, shares insights on effective communication with domain experts, and discusses prioritizing core business challenges—all while encouraging flexibility in design.

Matthieu Napoli, creator of Bref, joins us to explore the journey of bringing PHP to AWS Lambda - and making serverless a reality for everyday PHP developers. From hacking runtimes to building a mature ecosystem, Matthieu unpacks what “serverless” really means in practice - beyond the hype. We dig into Bref’s architecture, its integration with Laravel and Symfony, why PHP fits so naturally into Lambda’s execution model, and what it takes to run scalable, queue-driven applications without managing infrastructure. Matthieu also shares the story behind Bref Cloud - a new deployment and monitoring platform built to simplify the AWS experience for teams of all sizes, while staying open, secure, and extensible. Along the way, we dive into the trade-offs between serverless and Kubernetes, the importance of developer experience in platform design, and how Bref stays flexible - whether you’re shipping a side project or scaling production workloads. This conversation is packed with practical insight into the past, present, and future of serverless PHP - from cold starts and containers to deployment patterns, open source sustainability, and what it takes to keep PHP evolving in the cloud era. Show Links Bref (Official Site) Bref Cloud Matthieu Napoli’s Website Matthieu Napoli on X/Twitter Matthieu Napoli on Bluesky Bref GitHub Repo Serverless PHP: how does it really work? Bref Cloud Security & IAM Docs Laravel Vapor (for comparison) AWS Lambda Symfony Laravel Serverless Framework Lift Plugin for Serverless Framework

James Eastham, a software developer and expert in event-driven architecture, dives into the nitty-gritty of building and maintaining event-driven systems. He distinguishes between choreography and orchestration with engaging analogies, reveals strategies for failure recovery, and discusses the nuances of handling sensitive data. James also explores observability with OpenTelemetry, practical migration from monoliths, and the importance of structured learning through teaching. His insights shed light on overcoming challenges in implementing EDA while emphasizing hands-on experiences.

James Eastham, a developer advocate at Datadog and former AWS expert, dives into the essentials of event-driven architecture. He unpacks how communication shapes software design and discusses the pros and cons of different architectures like microservices. Key topics include the importance of semantically meaningful events, managing idempotency, and employing standards like CloudEvents. With vivid pizza metaphors, James illustrates concepts such as eventual consistency and balancing loose and strong coupling, making complex ideas accessible and engaging.