Even-Keeled Headway, Jon Kinney

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

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

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

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 at Headway.

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/