The Rabbit Hole: The Definitive Developer's Podcast

In this episode of The Rabbit Hole, we are unpacking The Seven Wastes of Software Development! Dave and Michael break down the seven points as they appear in the book Implementing Lean Software Development by Mary and Tom Poppendieck and chat about their experience and thoughts on each.

Today on the show we will be talking about Git Workflows. It seems like everybody is always using Gitflow or Trunk Based Development. Gitflow defines a strict branching model designed around the project release. It assigns very specific roles to different branches and defines how and when they should interact. Trunk Based Development is a source-control branching model, where developers collaborate on code in a single branch called ‘trunk’. Advances to source-control technologies have made Trunk Based Development more (and sometimes less) prevalent.

However, it has been a branching model that many have stuck with through the years. In this episode we’ll be getting into more of what we prefer, whether it is Gitflow or Trunk Based Development and we’ll get to some of the pros and cons behind the two.

We had so much fun last time out talking about programming idioms that we thought it was worth revisiting the topic and exploring a few more. To kick things off we talk about the idea of 'bike shedding', the supposed history of the term, and how it can apply to various situations in which something trivial is more engaging than an important matter. From there, we turn to the more common idiom of the hammer and everything appearing to be a nail. We see this problem arising when programmers tend to lean into their own expertise or method, which is not always the most appropriate. We also cover the overuse of refactoring, the detrimental effects this can have, and why rubber duck debugging can be such a satisfying experience. Tune in to hear it all! 

Each programming language has its own set of idioms or patterns of code used to express some standard kind of computation. Today on The Rabbit Hole, we’re talking about the programming idioms or expressions that we use on the regular; which are not to be confused with idiomatic programming or regular expressions! Tune in to learn what it means to shave a yak, boil the ocean, and grok a concept, as well as the difference between FUBAR and foobar, what turtles have to do with the problem of infinite regress, and so much more!

Having a ubiquitous language within your organization means that when someone on the developer team refers to “the foo bar,” the people on the design team, the service team and all the other teams, know exactly what they mean. Although a general understanding of the term is the most important aspect of ubiquitous language, we’d recommend not using terms like “the foo bar,” and rather applying principles of domain driven design to your naming system so that your glossary actually makes sense in the real world! Join us today as we share our experiences of dealing with ubiquitous and non-ubiquitous language in our working environments, and the importance of bringing up this topic as early on in any job as possible. 

Thanks for tuning in to another episode of the Rabbit Hole! Joining Michael in conversation today is one of our favorite cohosts, Sophie Creutz. Open source ethos and pathos form the springboard for our conversation, which spans the benefits and barriers to paying and not paying for information. Our discussion delves into practical territory, suggesting a simple way to start contributing to open source and describing how you can begin to grow into a core contributor. You’ll also hear some common fears around starting an open source project and why consistent contribution is the most constructive way to build a reputation for yourself. Join us for an enlightening conversation today! 

The idea of gamification has gained a lot of traction in the last few years and is increasingly being used in various aspects of modern life to aid commitment and learning, through enjoyment and engagement. Today we will be speaking about the topic of gamification, and in particular how it can be applied to professional development in our field. We have all experienced the power of 'learning by doing' and gamifying an approach doubles down on this idea. One of the principal powers of gamified learning also relates to memory, and how we remember better when we are experiencing enjoyment. It is possible that as developers, we also have an increased tendency to enjoy tracking progress, and the way that games allow you to gauge your level and the points you accrue, will surely appeal to a lot of our audience too! So for a quick look at a great way to get your stats up, and a few direct routes to lessons that can potentially be applied to your job immediately, be sure to listen in with us on the show!

As we enter into the new year and bid farewell to 2021, the topic of goals and goal-setting seems like an appropriate one to give some attention to. Today we are approaching it from a slightly different direction, looking at the idea of 'anti-goals', and how these might help you in your work and personal life. Simply put, anti-goals are a way to work backward from an undesirable outcome and use these as motivation and an incentive to avoid the actions or circumstances that might facilitate it. In our conversation, we look at the two different methods for coming up with anti-goals that we can think of and also relate these ideas to other goal-setting approaches we have spoken about in the past. Top tips that arise in our chat include the need for specificity, building a diverse toolkit for achieving success, and the need for different approaches in each situation or project. So to hear it all, make sure to come down the rabbit hole with us, today!

To celebrate the close of the year, and another year's worth of fun and illuminating conversation on this podcast, we are doing our customary round of editor's picks, where we look at highlights from the last 12 months. After the upheavals of 2020, in some ways, 2021 felt a little more settled, and discussions were able to move forward into some exciting and inspiring directions. From the 'bus factor' to 'quality without a name,' we covered some great ground here on the show and we look at all the standout moments, talking about their continued value. We get into the episode we had with Kara Swisher about influencing companies, the benefit we all accrued while discussing our notetaking habits, practices, and processes for improvement and education, our series on Aristotle, and a whole lot more. So, if you enjoyed these episodes as much as we did, or are looking to go back and catch up on some great content, join us today. We look forward to reconnecting with you all in the new year!