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Dead Code

Dead Code

Jared Norman

The software industry has a short memory. It warps good ideas, quickly obfuscating their context and intent. Dead Code seeks to extract the good ideas from the chaos of modern software development.

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Top 10 Dead Code Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Dead Code episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Dead Code for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Dead Code episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

In this episode, Jared speaks with Coraline Ada Ehmke, a veteran software developer and creator of the Contributor Covenant and Hippocratic License, about the ethics of open-source software. Coraline discusses common justifications developers use to avoid accountability for the potential harm their software may cause, such as the "freedom zero" argument advocating for unrestricted use of software and the belief that access to the source code ensures ethical behavior. She critiques these views, emphasizing that developers must consider the societal impact of their work and set clear ethical boundaries. Coraline encourages the use of a "negative roadmap" to define what developers refuse to build, urging them to think critically about the harm their technology may enable. The episode concludes with Coraline promoting her work with the Organization for Ethical Source and her upcoming book, which explores responsible tech practices.


Links:


Coraline Ada Ehmke

Contributor Covenant

Hippocratic License

Organization for Ethical Source

RailsConf

Madison Ruby

Richard Stallman

United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights


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In this episode of *Dead Code*, J.B. Rainsberger discusses the pitfalls of integrated tests, calling them a "scam" due to their tendency to complicate rather than solve testing problems. He advocates for writing smaller, more focused tests, like unit tests, to simplify debugging and avoid tangled code. J.B. emphasizes that test-driven development (TDD) should be flexible, guiding developers to test based on what they're afraid might break, rather than following rigid rules. He introduces the concept of four stages of TDD, where developers evolve from focusing on bug prevention to refining their approach based on experience, adapting their testing strategy to different contexts while maintaining the core principle of starting with a failing test.


Links:


J.B. Rainsberger's website

J.B.'s technical blog: The Code Whisperer

J.B.'s broader development blog: Blog by JBrains

Matteo Vaccari’s article: How I Learned to Love Mock Objects

Growing Object-Oriented Software, Guided by Tests by Steve Freeman and Nat Pryce

Test-Driven Development: By Example by Kent Beck

RSpec for Rails

Rails Testing Documentation

Extreme Programming


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Dead Code - Master of Generators (with Garrett Dimon)
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10/22/24 • 33 min

In this episode of Dead Code, host Jared Norman interviews Garrett Dimon about the benefits of using Rails generators for automating tasks and maintaining consistency in Rails applications. Garrett, a seasoned developer, shares how he transitioned to Ruby and Rails and delved deep into using generators to simplify repetitive tasks, automate file creation, and adhere to Rails conventions. He discusses the advantages of generators, such as reducing errors, saving time, and creating a streamlined workflow that benefits entire teams. Garrett also talks about writing a book on the topic of making generators more accessible and highlights how they can be customized for various needs, offering significant productivity gains for developers. The episode emphasizes the enduring value of Rails generators in improving development processes and project structure.


Links:


Garrett Dimon's Website

The Book on Generators

Rails Framework

Thor Gem

Fireside.fm


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In this episode of "Dead Code," host Jared Norman interviews Jim Remsik, a Ruby developer and founder of the consultancy Flagrant. Jim shares his journey from .NET to Ruby on Rails, reflecting on the early days of the Ruby community and the impact of its vibrant, collaborative environment on his career. He discusses the importance of mentorship and nurturing junior developers, stressing the need for more opportunities within the Ruby community to help them grow into senior roles. Jim also talks about his passion for organizing events like Madison + Ruby, which recently returned after a hiatus, highlighting how conferences and meetups play a vital role in building connections and strengthening the community. The conversation underscores the value of stepping up to contribute to programming communities, whether through organizing, speaking, or participating in events.


Links:


Jim Remsik on LinkedIn

Flagrant Consultancy

Madison + Ruby Conference

Ruby on Rails

RubyConf

Solidus

Turing School

Honeybadger

AppSignal


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Dead Code - Twitching Hour (with Rachael Wright-Munn)
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10/29/24 • 33 min

In this Dead Code podcast episode, Jared Norman interviews Chael Wright-Munn (ChaelCodes) about the benefits of working openly through activities like live streaming and contributing to open-source projects. Chael emphasizes how creating a "library of examples" through public coding can enhance a developer’s skills, build their professional network, and preserve their achievements beyond their current job. She offers practical advice on starting a stream, such as using OBS software, focusing on community building, and engaging in structured projects like Hacktoberfest. The discussion highlights the value of maintaining a visible presence in the tech community, whether through streaming, open-source contributions, or other public-facing efforts, as a way to retain knowledge and showcase work, even across job changes.


Links:


ChaelCodes

Ruby Social

Hacktoberfest

Dev.to

GitLab

OBS Studio

Regex Crossword

Streamlabs OBS

Code Thesaurus GitHub Repository

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Dead Code - Supercritical Gem (with Stefanni Brasil)
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09/17/24 • 38 min

In this episode of the Dead Code Podcast, Jared Norman talks with Stefanni Brasil, a Senior Software Developer at thoughtbot and co-founder of hexdevs, about career growth, open source, and mentorship in tech. Stefanni shares her non-traditional path into software development and her passion for helping mid-level developers advance through her program "Get to Senior," which addresses both technical and non-technical skills. They discuss the challenges of career progression, the importance of understanding company promotion dynamics, and the need for developers to focus on leadership and communication skills. Stefanni also highlights the ethical concerns surrounding open-source contributions, advocating for companies to financially support the projects they benefit from. The conversation ends with a reflection on the role of AI, productivity, and the value of sharing knowledge publicly to strengthen the tech community.


Links:


Stefanni Brasil's Blog

hexdevs

Faker Library (GitHub Repository)

Rails World Conference

Ruby on Rails Community

GitHub Copilot

Tidelift

ChaelCodes (Rachel's Social Media)

The Survey Mentioned


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Dead Code - Pondering the Prism (with Kevin Newton)
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09/24/24 • 29 min

In this episode of Dead Code, Jared interviews Kevin Newton, Staff Software Engineer at Shopify, about his work on Ruby's new parser, Prism. Kevin explains how Prism was created to address the limitations of Ruby's original parser by providing a portable, error-tolerant solution that unifies the ecosystem, replacing multiple outdated parsers used across different tools. They discuss the challenges of parsing Ruby's complex syntax, including quirky features like heredocs and regular expressions, and how Prism was designed for better control and performance. Kevin emphasizes the community-driven effort behind the project, making it more accessible to contributors, and shares how Prism will advance Ruby tooling in future releases.


Links:


Kevin Newton's blog

Kevin Newton's GitHub

Kevin Newton on Twitter (X)

Crafting Interpreters

The Dragon Book

Prism Parser

Ruby LSP

Shopify

Rails World Conference

ESLint


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Dead Code - Purely Functional Ideas (with Harmony)
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09/03/24 • 36 min

In this episode of "Dead Code," Jared and Harmony, a self-taught programmer with extensive experience in Ruby, explore the benefits of experimenting with unconventional programming languages. They discuss Fennel, a Lisp that compiles to Lua, highlighting its simplicity and versatility for applications like game modding. Jared shares his experience with ReScript, a language in the ML family that compiles to JavaScript, emphasizing its strong type system and seamless integration with React. They also delve into Uiua, a stack-based array language with a unique symbol-rich syntax, which Harmony finds ideal for tackling complex mathematical programming challenges. The episode emphasizes how these esoteric languages can broaden a programmer's perspective and problem-solving approach.


Links:


Fennel Language

Lua Programming Language

ReScript Language

OCaml

Standard ML Documentation

Uiua Language

APL Language

Conway’s Game of Life Interactive Simulator

Advent of Code

Project Euler

React.js

Fennel VS Code Extension

ReScript VS Code Extension

Uiua VS Code Support

Emacs Fennel Mode

Emacs ReScript Support


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Dead Code - Tech Death (with Robby Russell)
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07/16/24 • 49 min

In this episode of the Dead Code podcast, host Jared Norman interviews Robby Russell, the CEO of Planet Argon and creator of Oh My Zsh, who shares insights from his extensive experience in software development, particularly Ruby on Rails. Robby discusses the challenges of software maintenance and technical debt, emphasizing the importance of understanding and managing different types of debt within teams. He advocates for building simpler, more maintainable systems, taking ownership of the codebase, and integrating maintenance work into regular workflows through effective communication and documentation.


Links:


Robby’s TikTok

Robby’s LinkedIn

Robby’s X

Oh My Zsh

Planet Argon

Maintainable Software Podcast

Michael Feathers' book "Working Effectively with Legacy Code"

Ward Cunningham and the concept of Technical Debt

RailsConf

Ruby on Rails

Refinery CMS

Solidus

Spree

Martin Fowler's book "Refactoring"

John Osterhout's book "A Philosophy of Software Design"

Rails World 2024


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Jared on Mastodon

Jared on X


Episode Transcript



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Dead Code - The Software Industry is Dead (Code)
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03/12/24 • 5 min

A short preview of what you can expect from future episodes of Dead Code. I promise better editing and mic position in the future.

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Jared Norman Socials:

References:



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FAQ

How many episodes does Dead Code have?

Dead Code currently has 17 episodes available.

What topics does Dead Code cover?

The podcast is about Computer Science, Software, Software Development, Podcasts, Technology and Programming.

What is the most popular episode on Dead Code?

The episode title 'Entangled Mess of Vines (with Stephanie Minn and Joel Quenneville)' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Dead Code?

The average episode length on Dead Code is 41 minutes.

How often are episodes of Dead Code released?

Episodes of Dead Code are typically released every 7 days, 3 hours.

When was the first episode of Dead Code?

The first episode of Dead Code was released on Mar 12, 2024.

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