Maintainable

Tom Johnson: From Auto-Documentation to Better Collaboration


Listen Later

In this episode of Maintainable, Robby speaks with Tom Johnson, Co-Founder and CEO of Multiplayer. Tom shares his perspectives on the evolving landscape of distributed systems, the challenges of maintaining legacy software, and how innovative tools are transforming the way teams collaborate.

Topics Discussed
  • Characteristics of well-maintained software, from system-level documentation to effective workflows.
  • The importance of debugging tools tailored for distributed systems.
  • Anecdotes about managing technical debt, including cutting off a CEO’s database access.
  • How auto-documentation and design branches in Multiplayer streamline team collaboration.
  • Practical strategies for tackling technical debt and fostering developer morale.
Key Takeaways
  • [00:01:16] Defining Well-Maintained Software: Tom explains why documentation, tests, and collaborative workflows are essential.
  • [00:06:14] The Case for Locking Down Production: Lessons learned from a humorous but cautionary tale.
  • [00:18:11] Debugging Distributed Systems: How Multiplayer’s tools simplify the debugging process.
  • [00:25:00] Design Branches and Team Collaboration: Enhancing communication through shared documentation.
  • [00:31:39] Prioritizing Technical Debt: Identifying customer and developer pain points.
Resources Mentioned
  • Multiplayer
  • Tom Johnson on LinkedIn
  • Tom Johnson on Twitter
  • Book Recommendation: Making Comics by Scott McCloud
Thanks to Our Sponsor!

Turn hours of debugging into just minutes! AppSignal is a performance monitoring and error-tracking tool designed for Ruby, Elixir, Python, Node.js, Javascript, and other frameworks.

It offers six powerful features with one simple interface, providing developers with real-time insights into the performance and health of web applications.

Keep your coding cool and error-free, one line at a time! 

Use the code maintainable to get a 10% discount for your first year. Check them out!

Subscribe to Maintainable on:

  • Apple Podcasts
  • Spotify

Or search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.

Keep up to date with the Maintainable Podcast by joining the newsletter.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

MaintainableBy Robby Russell

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

32 ratings


More shows like Maintainable

View all
Planet Money by NPR

Planet Money

30,666 Listeners

Software Engineering Radio by se-radio@computer.org

Software Engineering Radio

271 Listeners

The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source by Changelog Media

The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source

290 Listeners

The Bike Shed by thoughtbot

The Bike Shed

121 Listeners

Software Engineering Daily by Software Engineering Daily

Software Engineering Daily

623 Listeners

Soft Skills Engineering by Jamison Dance and Dave Smith

Soft Skills Engineering

289 Listeners

Syntax - Tasty Web Development Treats by Wes Bos & Scott Tolinski - Full Stack JavaScript Web Developers

Syntax - Tasty Web Development Treats

987 Listeners

REWORK by 37signals

REWORK

210 Listeners

Darknet Diaries by Jack Rhysider

Darknet Diaries

8,054 Listeners

Tech Brew Ride Home by Morning Brew

Tech Brew Ride Home

960 Listeners

Remote Ruby by Chris Oliver, Andrew Mason

Remote Ruby

34 Listeners

The Stack Overflow Podcast by The Stack Overflow Podcast

The Stack Overflow Podcast

63 Listeners

This Day in AI Podcast by Michael Sharkey, Chris Sharkey

This Day in AI Podcast

228 Listeners

Code and the Coding Coders who Code it by Drew Bragg

Code and the Coding Coders who Code it

6 Listeners

The Pragmatic Engineer by Gergely Orosz

The Pragmatic Engineer

63 Listeners