Exploring the human factors that make software engineering so unique, so difficult, so important and all consuming. Learning to work with the systems, not against them.
Software Delivery Club Newsletter 2022-12-23
It's time for a little down-time and for a little year-end review. I'll be spending a few days with my family and friends and I hope you can all get to do the same. I've been looking back at my year and have summarised things below in a little list:
* 182 blog posts published
* 23 podcast episodes and December has been my best-ever month with over 100 listens!
* Lots of books read and inspiration gathered - I have a partial reading list https://richardwbown.com/resources/ and this will be updated early in the new year
* One talk given at the CTO Craft conference - a lot more planned for next year including my first online training and workshops
I hope that 2022 has been good to you and that we'll be able to talk a lot more about software delivery, architecture and legacy in 2023. Until then - I wish you a very peaceful and restful end of 2022.
Richard
The Social Legacy of Code
Published on December 23, 2022
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When does legacy code first appear? How does working at the limits of our abilities (or when we are constrained) affect the quality and supportability of the code we write? I was struck by these thoughts while browsing the subreddit for the Advent of Code. There was one thread called “AOC 2022 is destroying my …
Advent of Code 2022: Into The Valley of Self-Doubt
Published on December 21, 2022
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Personally, one of the most fascinating things I find about the Advent of Code is when you hit your particular “wall”. When you think you can’t possibly go any further and you get frustrated and start to doubt yourself… if you’re participating, did that happen to you yet? So, the puzzles start off reasonably straightforward. …
Do You Still Need ITIL and ITSM?
Published on December 18, 2022
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Information Technology Information Library (ITIL) and its subset Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) are best practices that have grown to become essential foundations of corporate IT. In banks, insurers, energy companies, infrastructure companies and even retailers, IT change control processes are implemented in ITIL and ITSM. Often however these best practices are elements of overlapping …
The Human Engineer
Exploring the human factors that make software engineering so unique, so difficult, so important and all consuming. Learning to work with the systems, not against them.
REBRAND ALERT!! So it's been a while since I renamed this newsletter but I feel it's due a slight sidestep following the launch of my book. So welcome to episode 286 overall, but episode #1 of The Human Engineer. Despite me constantly rename this newsletter, over these years the subject has never really varied too much. I talk about software systems and how they relate to human systems. I find my work increasingly focusses on the human side of the this divide - because it is a divide right?...
Last couple of weeks, I've been rebuilding some Windows base images in order to comply with corporate patching policies. The new images are CIS hardened which means they follows guidelines set out by the Center for Internet Security benchmark. This ultimately means that the images are restricted in what they can do, what they can access, what is installed upon them by default. These security measures work in opposition to the automation we already have in place for our customers. This is the...
Aside from being a writer, I'm also an avid film and TV watcher. This week we were blessed by the arrival of Pluribus on AppleTV. It's a speculative science fiction series written by Vince Gilligan, co-creator of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. He's someone who knows what they are doing when it comes to writing, producing and directing these incredibly successful series. More than that though, he picks the best people and directs them with ease. Here's a bit on when Vince Gilligan knew...