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Robert Quinlivan
Robert Quinlivan

119 Followers

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Published in

The Startup

·Oct 8, 2022

Stop Abusing “Technical Debt”

Technical debt or simply tech debt is the most widely abused and misunderstood term in software. The term was created by Ward Cunningham as a metaphor to explain software development to clients in the banking industry several decades ago. He was working with a financial firm at the time, so…

Software Engineering

5 min read

Software Engineering

5 min read


Published in

The Startup

·Oct 8, 2022

The Cost of a Slow Build Process

Note: The following was originally written at work to explain to my team why I believed we should invest significant work into reducing the build time for one of our system components. I have adapted it slightly to suit a general audience. Preface In software, we often focus on the monetary…

Software Development

4 min read

Software Development

4 min read


Jan 7, 2022

Blame In Software Development

“Blame” is one of those words that we need to be careful around. On the one hand, it has a clear dictionary definition that we all agree on. …

Software Development

6 min read

Software Development

6 min read


Feb 19, 2021

My Only Skill Is Debugging

My only skill is debugging. I have worked as a programmer — software engineer, software developer, or whatever you want to call it — for many years. I possess only this one skill. It is the only skill I have required. I: Building Blocks of Debugging In 2007 I was unemployed and living with a…

Debugging

7 min read

My Only Skill Is Debugging
My Only Skill Is Debugging
Debugging

7 min read


Feb 15, 2021

The Code We Don’t Write

Lessons I’ve learned from software development in 500 Words — 1. Write As Little Code As Possible The best code is no code at all. If we can complete our project requirements by pressing a button, we should do it. If this button does not exist, we must write code. The temptation of all developers is to redesign systems with no concrete payoff. …

Programming

2 min read

Programming

2 min read


Nov 17, 2020

DevOps: The Revolution That Stalled

Since the early days of the internet, we have had two broad categories of software people: application developers, those entrusted to develop new products and features to existing products; and operations, those tasked with keeping the live system running and healthy. The reason for this division is simple. Organizations that…

Software Development

7 min read

Software Development

7 min read


Published in

The Startup

·Apr 16, 2020

No, You Don’t Need Three Monitors

If you’re the kind of person who works with a computer at a desk then you’ve no doubt spent some time endlessly tweaking and tuning your setup to achieve the right feeling. Having a nice desk setup can create a soothing sense of feng shui. …

Working From Home

4 min read

No, You Don’t Need Three Monitors
No, You Don’t Need Three Monitors
Working From Home

4 min read


Published in

OneZero

·Feb 11, 2020

3 Surprising Ways You Might Be Giving Away Your Personal Information

All the ways advertisers and others get your data — If you have used the internet at any point in the last 10 years, you’re probably aware that companies are collecting data for advertising purposes. …

Privacy

6 min read

3 Surprising Ways You Might Be Giving Away Your Personal Information
3 Surprising Ways You Might Be Giving Away Your Personal Information
Privacy

6 min read


Published in

The Startup

·Feb 9, 2020

So You Want To Be A Software Engineer

I’ve seen a lot of posts online from college students or career changers asking questions about what it takes to become a software engineer. Typically, these questions focus around what languages to learn, how to get into a particular company, and how to navigate the various paths to get there. …

Software Engineering

7 min read

Software Engineering

7 min read


Published in

The Startup

·Jan 30, 2020

A Brief Primer On Targeted Advertising

At this point I think most people know that there are companies that buy and sell data online for the purposes of advertising. But you may not realize how the system works or what it looks like under the covers. In this article, I will take a look at the…

Advertising

8 min read

Advertising

8 min read

Robert Quinlivan

Robert Quinlivan

119 Followers

Robert is a writer and software engineer. www.rquinlivan.com

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