Coding Chats episode 28 - Jonathan Marler discusses his journey as a programmer, focusing on his experiences with the Zig and D programming languages.

He shares insights into the philosophies behind these languages, their applications in software development, and the challenges of cross-compilation. The discussion also covers his transition from a large corporation (HP) to a small startup (Tuple), the importance of pair programming, and the handmade philosophy in software development. Jonathan emphasizes the value of simplicity in programming languages and tools, and he shares practical examples of how Zig has been beneficial in his work.

Jonathan's Links:

https://github.com/marler8997

https://twitch.tv/johnnymarler

https://www.youtube.com/@jonathanmarler5808

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-marler-467585159/

You can find Tuple here: https://tuple.app

John's Links:

John's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncrickett/

John’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@johncrickett

John's Twitter: https://x.com/johncrickett

John's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/johncrickett.bsky.social

Check out John's software engineering related newsletters:

Coding Challenges: https://codingchallenges.substack.com/ which shares real-world project ideas that you can use to level up your coding skills.

Developing Skills: https://read.developingskills.fyi/ covering everything from system design to soft skills, helping them progress their career from junior to staff+ or for those that want onto a management track.

Takeaways

Jonathan has been an engineer for about 15 years. He transitioned from D to Zig for its simplicity.

Zig's philosophy focuses on keeping the language small and simple.

D is a kitchen sink language with many features.

Zig aims to circumvent the standard C library.

Tuple is a tool for pair programming that enhances collaboration.

Pair programming can be more motivating and effective for problem-solving.

The handmade philosophy emphasizes writing good software with longevity.

Zig allows for cross-compilation out of the box.

Jonathan enjoys working in a small company for its impact and motivation.