What's the inverse of literate programming.
July 14, 2019.
One of my favorite ideas in programing that hasn't ever quite worked is literate programing. Literate programming explores how the act of writing and reading software might work if we blended code and documentation--the how and the why--much more closely, usually in the same file.
Head in the clouds.
July 7, 2019.
When I wrote about the public cloud expansion forcing infrastructure engineers to evolve their role, I sort of imagined that the precursor question--should we run our infrastructure on the public cloud?--was already quite settled, but it's a discussion that I find myself having more rather than less frequently each year, so I've taken some time to structure and document my thinking.
Don't follow the sun.
July 3, 2019.
When I get the chance to speak with engineering leaders, I sometimes get asked to endorse an already underway plan to spin up a “follow the sun” on-call rotation. My advice is probably not what folks anticipate: please don’t.
Notes on Escaping the Build Trap
June 30, 2019.
Last year while thinking about product management in infrastructure I read Cagan's Inspired, which I thought was a very solid book. I just finished reading Perri's Escaping the Build Trap, which is similarly excellent, and I've written up some notes.
Fostering program engagement.
June 26, 2019.
Some of my favorite pieces to write are those that end up being interesting to a pretty small audience, but tap into a central nerve for that small audience. So far, 'Programs: tips for owning the unownable, has been in that category.' Most folks don't engage much with leading programs, but folks who are have feelings and thoughts.