Episodes

  • Dive into the intricate world of system architecture, focusing on Conway's Law and its impact on software development. Learn how organizational communication structures can shape the architecture of systems. The Headway team discusses the balance between creating independent teams for faster development and the potential pitfalls of unnecessary silos, especially for startups and smaller teams.

    Listen to debates on the merits of microservices versus monolithic applications, with insights into how modern technologies like Elixir's flame pattern and serverless solutions like AWS Lambda can offer scalable and efficient solutions. They also discuss hosted environments, from on-premises setups to cloud-native solutions, and how new patterns and technologies make it easier for developers to build robust applications without deep DevOps expertise. This episode provides valuable perspectives and innovative approaches to system design and scalability. Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion that bridges theory and practical application in software architecture.

    Discussion:

    01:34 Diving into System Architecture and Deployment Evolution

    02:20 Exploring Conway's Law in Software Development

    04:04 The Challenges of Team Communication and Project Management

    06:45 Efficiency in Small Teams: The Power of Three

    09:04 Navigating Full Stack Development and Conway's Law

    17:14 Innovative Approaches to Hosted Infrastructure Technology

    27:32 Concluding Thoughts on Conway's Law and the Future of Software Development

    Resources Mentioned:

    Conway's Law and The Mythical Man-Month

    Conway's Law - WikipediaThe Mythical Man-Month by Frederick P. Brooks Jr.

    Elixir and the Flame Pattern

    Elixir LanguageChris McCord’s Flame Pattern Presentation at ElixirConf EUFlame Pattern LibraryFly.io Platform

    Serverless and Hosted Environments

    AWS LambdaSupabaseNetlifyVercel

    Full-Stack Development and LiveView

    LiveView for ElixirHotwire by BasecampReact Server Components

    Related Articles and Blog Posts

    Jason Fried’s Tweet on Team Size at 37signalsFly.io Blog on the Flame Pattern in JavaScript

    Books and Frameworks

    Shape Up by BasecampRuby on Rails Framework

    Even-Keeled is a podcast by Headway, a digital product agency.
    https://www.headway.io/

  • The Headway development team dives into the power of design systems and seamless designer-developer collaboration.

    Learn about implementing design systems in various environments, automated design-to-code processes, and the crucial role of detailed design documentation.

    Find out how tools like Tailwind and Storybook can enhance or complicate development. The team doesn't shy away from discussing the real-world implications of maintaining design systems and the delicate balance of collaboration required between designers and developers.

    Discover how tools like Figma, Tailwind CSS, and Storybook can improve your workflow and consistency and reduce errors. Tune in for engaging debates and actionable tips on optimizing your design and development process. Whether you're a seasoned developer or just starting, this episode offers valuable takeaways you won't want to miss.

    00:00 Introduction

    01:50 Defining Design Systems and Their Importance

    03:22 The Role of Figma in Design Systems

    07:51 Tailwind CSS and Its Impact on Design Systems

    10:28 Exploring Storybook and Its Alternatives

    17:32 Design Systems in Mobile Development

    22:04 Collaboration Between Designers and Developers

    33:02 The QA Process and Design Review

    34:48 Balancing Design Review with Development Cycles

    37:52 Upcoming Conference Talk on Design Systems

    YouTube Content on Design Systems:

    Headway YouTube ChannelDesign System Course for Figma

    Tools and Libraries:

    Elixir Live Storybook: Elixir Live StorybookMediCode Application: MediCode AI/ML ProductView Component (GitHub): View ComponentLookbook (Storybook for View Components): Lookbook

    Chromatic:

    Chromatic: Chromatic Visual Testing Tool

    Tailwind:

    Tailwind CSS: Tailwind CSS

    Figma and Design Systems:

    Figma: Figma Design ToolHeadway Design Systems Course: Headway Design Systems CourseShipwright Design System by Headway: Shipwright Design System

    Even-Keeled is a podcast by Headway, a digital product agency.

    https://www.headway.io/

  • Missing episodes?

    Click here to refresh the feed.

  • Exploring AI in Development: Tools, Privacy, and Local Hosting Insights

    The Headway development team dives into various aspects of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in development. Discussion topics range from using AI tools such as ChatGPT in browsers and code editors (including VS Code and Vim), to addressing privacy and security concerns surrounding AI. They explore options for running large language models (LLMs) locally to mitigate privacy issues and highlight Headway's internal developments in the AI space. The conversation also touches on consumer-facing AI tools, troubleshooting development issues with AI assistance, and the potential of hosting AI models locally for development purposes, showcasing Elixir's potency in the ML ecosystem through projects like Medicode and tools such as Live Book.

    01:13 Exploring AI Tools and ChatGPT Experiences

    08:27 AI in Code Editors: Enhancing Developer Productivity

    23:13 The Future of AI in Troubleshooting and Development

    33:10 Local Hosting of LLMs and Elixir's Role in AI

    41:41 Wrapping Up: AI Innovations and Future Directions

    Even-Keeled is a podcast by Headway, a digital product agency.

    https://www.headway.io/

  • We're back! Join the Headway development leadership team for a chat about RailsConf, Vim and VS Code, PWAs, Turbo Native, Rails 8, Elixir, React, and more.

    We discuss recent steps Apple has taken constraining the capabilities of Progressive Web Applications (PWAs) in the European Union. The team also explores TurboNative, a tech solution that blends native and web apps, and Supabase, an open-source Firebase competitor built on Postgres. The resurgence in popularity of the Ruby on Rails framework is also discussed. The episode suggests that while JavaScript libraries like React continue to dominate, full-stack solutions offered by platforms like Rails are experiencing a revival, particularly for start-ups.

    00:00 Introductions and Discussion on Technology Trends and Workflows

    00:54 Exploring the World of Programming with Core Technologies

    01:21 RailsConf and the Journey of Submitting a Talk

    02:33 The Vim vs VS Code Debate

    08:23 Exploring Other Editors and the Power of Vim

    13:26 Apple's Decisions on PWAs and its Impact

    19:15 Introduction to Turbo Native

    19:51 Turbo Native vs Other Systems

    20:54 Turbo Native's Unique Features

    22:09 Turbo Native for iOS and Android

    22:34 Benefits of Turbo Native for Clients

    24:55 The Evolution of React and Rails

    25:51 The Resurgence of Rails

    26:51 The Future of React and Rails

    27:33 The Flexibility of React

    36:14 The Use of Supabase in Projects

    38:56 The Challenges and Rewards of Consulting

    39:51 Preview of Next Discussion: AI, ML, and Cloud Native

    Hear from Jon Kinney, Partner & CTO, Tim Gremore, Development Lead, Dan Diemer, Mobile Lead, and Chris Held, Development Lead.

    Even-Keeled is a podcast by Headway, a digital product agency.

    https://www.headway.io/

  • In this episode, Jon chats with Jacob Hebert and Matt Mcgee from the Headway development team about creating static sites with Gatsby. They dive into their experience with Gatsby on client projects and solutions they’ve found most helpful for CMS integration, styling, SEO, and more.

    Even-Keeled is a podcast by Headway, a digital product agency.

    https://www.headway.io/

  • Team retrospectives are a great way to understand what your team can improve on after completing a project. In this episode, Jon chats with Andrew Stuntz, Senior Developer at Headway, about specific ways you can make your team's retrospectives more impactful. That way you can get the most out of your meetings, prevent your team from talking in circles, and do better work together.

    Even-Keeled is a podcast by Headway, a digital product agency.
    https://www.headway.io/

  • In this episode, we discuss storytelling through pull requests and git commit messages and dig into how to effectively use git rebase to craft the story of your code.

    Even-Keeled is a podcast by Headway, a digital product agency.
    https://www.headway.io/

  • Jon Kinney, Partner & CTO, and the development team at Headway explore development methodologies and best practices that help teams build successful software. Learn about the format and content of the podcast as well as some background about your host.

    Even-Keeled is a podcast by Headway, a digital product agency.
    https://www.headway.io/