There is a unique failure mode that I have experienced: trying too hard. I never saw this one coming, and I never expected it. “Trying too hard” means that you have a tight grip over each aspect of every project. …

Most of our engineering decisions these days are about choosing which problems you want to have. For me, this realization came off the back of the popularization of the CAP theorem. Learning that the natural constraints of a distributed system force you to pick availability or eventual consistency, means you…

This is my “Hot Take” for the front-end world. I truly think modals are bad. Bad for the end user, and a crutch that too many developers and UX folk rely on.

Let’s start with the users because they matter most. We have implemented modals to take over the whole…

I have not found a better distillation of the gordian knot that is modern software development. There was a time when one person could, effectively, have the entire computer in their mind and produce good software. That time is long since past. Due to the technical and economic choices we…

I’ve always been far more of a programmer than a designer. I don’t think I’ve ever personally liked anything I’ve designed on the web. It’s been good enough, sometimes, and other times not so much. But I find myself squarely on the side of the designers on this one.

First…

I’m fond of saying that code has no value until it is running in production. I still believe that is a correct and important statement. But I want to qualify that statement to say that code has no performative value until it is running in production. …

I think the speed of a team is the result of a function, it is the symptom of a working environment. It doesn’t happen by simply standing up and demanding that people work faster. Engineering teams deliver quickly when they have confidence. I don’t mean individual self-confidence, or a level…

I’m nearing the six month mark in my $latestGig, and my role has turned into a product and people management role. I was hoping this would happen, but not before I got to fully build something myself. Such is life, ruining a well formulated plan.

I’ve done the customer-facing part…