Unboxed Roundup: Our links for w/c 6th March 2017
March 10, 2017
What does it mean to be "senior"? - Murray S
http://www.kitchensoap.com/2012/10/25/on-being-a-senior-engineer/
It can be hard to define what a "senior" engineer/developer/programmer* actually is. I think we can all agree that it can't just be someone who has been working for a few years and has some experience, even though that's probably one requirement we'd all agree on (even if we don't all agree on how long they'd have to be working for). This article tries to describe what a senior engineer does, and brings it down to maturity. I found this a useful article as I start to struggle with what kind of "senior" I am, and what kind of "senior" I want to be.
*: delete as appropriate. You can call yourselves whatever you want. But not ninja-rockstars, m'kay?
Scrimba - Charlie
https://scrimba.com
This is a tool to create short video demonstrations of simple web 'programs'. Sort of like asciinema only more... webby?
Google Cloud Container Builder - Charlie
https://cloudplatform.googleblog.com/2017/03/Google-Cloud-Container-Builder-a-fast-and-flexible-way-to-package-your-software.html
I spent a few innovation days playing with various container-based continuous deployment tools last year. I played with both Wercker and Distelli but found both had their quirks when deploying to a GCE cluster. I've yet to play with GCCB but hopefully better ease of use will come from the closer integration.
Faster RSpec - Elena T
https://www.wetestrails.com/blog/profiling-factorygirl
I found this article interesting because it describes how you can use a profiling tool to optimize your usage of FactoryGirl. The tool is called, unsurprisingly, FactoryGirlProfiler. It allows you to see which factories are taking up the most time, and hopefully give you a better picture of your usage.
Don't Rush - Elena T
https://robots.thoughtbot.com/don-t-rush
This article is about product design, but I believe it can be applied to software development as well. And generally as a good life philosophy. The underlying principle is that delivering good products means spending more time on it. Not just on refining the details but also on trying to create an overall picture where all the pieces fit together well. Taking the time to get it right also means you will be more consistent in your approach, which in turn helps to have a more coherent end-result that is easy to understand.
The article compares the way London and New York have been designed as cities. In London, there was no master design and everyone focused on their own patch of land. New York, on the other hand, was designed with a plan in mind from the start. According to the author, the result is that one is a city that is easier to use, although they are both equally beautiful.
Track of the Week - Matt T
This is one of my faves at the moment, I love it because it's uplifting and hints at summer fun!