Maintainable Podcast Por Robby Russell arte de portada

Maintainable

Maintainable

De: Robby Russell
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 Do you feel like you're hitting a wall with your existing software projects? Are you curious to hear how other people are navigating this? You're not alone. On the Maintainable Software Podcast, Robby speaks with seasoned practitioners who have overcome the technical and cultural problems often associated with software development. Our guests will share stories in each episode and outline tangible, real-world approaches to software challenges. In turn, you'll uncover new ways of thinking about how to improve your software project's maintainability.© 2019-2024 Maintainable Software Podcast Economía Exito Profesional
Episodios
  • Joel Chippindale: Why High-Quality Software Isn’t About Developer Skill Alone

    Joel Chippindale: Why High-Quality Software Isn’t About Developer Skill Alone
    Jul 1 2025

    CTO coach Joel Chippindale joins Robby to share what he's learned over two decades of building and leading software teams. Joel argues that maintainability has less to do with “clean code” and more to do with how teams communicate, prioritize, and make progress visible. Drawing on his time at Unmade and his current coaching practice, Joel outlines practical ways teams can build trust, navigate brittle systems, and stop letting technical debt conversations get lost in translation.

    Episode Highlights

    [00:01:10] A Working Definition of Maintainability
    Joel explains why “software that’s easy to keep changing” is the gold standard—and why context matters as much as code.

    [00:05:24] The Pitfalls of Pre-Optimization
    How developers can trap themselves by designing for futures that may never arrive.

    [00:10:40] Challenging the Iron Triangle
    Joel pushes back on the idea that teams must sacrifice quality for speed or cost.

    [00:15:31] Quality Is a Team Conversation
    Why code quality starts long before you open your editor.

    [00:20:00] Unmade Case Study: From Chaos to Confidence
    How Joel helped a struggling team at Unmade regain trust by delivering less—and showing more.

    [00:28:08] Helping Business Stakeholders Buy Into Maintenance Work
    How to reframe backend investments in terms that resonate across departments.

    [00:33:40] First Steps for Fragile Systems
    What Joel looks for when coaching teams overwhelmed by legacy code.

    [00:41:32] The Value of Boring Technology
    Why solving real problems matters more than chasing resume polish.

    [00:45:20] The Case for Coaching
    What makes leadership coaching valuable—and why it's not a sign of weakness.

    [00:51:10] Building Your Manager Voltron
    Joel shares why every developer should cultivate their own support system, including mentors, peers, and coaches.

    Resources & Mentions
    • Joel’s Coaching Site – Monkey’s Thumb
    • Joel on Mastodon
    • “Take Back Control of Code Quality” – Joel’s Blog Post
    • “Manager Voltron” by Lara Hogan
    • Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss
    Thanks to Our Sponsor!

    Turn hours of debugging into just minutes! AppSignal is a performance monitoring and error-tracking tool designed for Ruby, Elixir, Python, Node.js, Javascript, and other frameworks.

    It offers six powerful features with one simple interface, providing developers with real-time insights into the performance and health of web applications.

    Keep your coding cool and error-free, one line at a time!

    Use the code maintainable to get a 10% discount for your first year. Check them out!

    Subscribe to Maintainable on:

    • Apple Podcasts
    • Spotify

    Or search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.

    Keep up to date with the Maintainable Podcast by joining the newsletter.
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    57 m
  • Melanie Sumner: Why Continuous Accessibility Is a Strategic Advantage

    Melanie Sumner: Why Continuous Accessibility Is a Strategic Advantage
    Jun 10 2025
    Melanie Sumner: Why Continuous Accessibility Is a Strategic Advantage

    Melanie Sumner, Product Accessibility Lead for Design Systems at HashiCorp, joins Robby to talk about what it takes to scale accessibility across legacy products—and how aligning design and engineering processes creates lasting change. Melanie shares her work making Ember.js more accessible, her team’s philosophy behind their design system, and why she treats accessibility like any other technical concern.

    From the pitfalls of nested interactive elements to the strengths of Ember's conventions and codemods, this conversation offers a roadmap for integrating accessibility into every layer of product development.

    Melanie also reflects on why she trademarked the term Continuous Accessibility, how it fits into product lifecycles, and what other frameworks can learn from the Ember community’s approach.

    “Accessibility is a technical problem with a technical solution.”

    Melanie joins us from Chicago, Illinois.

    Episode Highlights

    [00:01:00] What Well-Maintained Software Looks Like: Consistency, purpose, and bridging design and engineering
    [00:02:30] Building a Unified Design System Across 10+ Legacy Products
    [00:03:30] Creating Component Requirements Before Design or Code
    [00:05:00] Designing with Accessibility Defaults—and Providing Bridges for Legacy
    [00:07:00] How Ember’s Conventions Help Scale Front-End Systems
    [00:09:30] Who Uses Ember—and Why It's a Fit for Teams with Big Requirements
    [00:13:30] Technical Debt in Design Systems and the Cost of Rushing
    [00:16:30] How They Future-Proof Components and Avoid Over-Engineering
    [00:19:00] What “Continuous Accessibility” Means in Practice
    [00:21:00] Accessibility Testing and the Limits of Automation
    [00:23:00] Common Accessibility Mistakes: Nested Interactives and Misused DIVs
    [00:24:30] Keyboard Navigation as a Litmus Test
    [00:26:00] Text Adventure Games and Accessibility as a Playable Experience
    [00:28:30] The Origin of Her Accessibility Journey at UNC Chapel Hill
    [00:31:00] Why She Avoids Framing Accessibility in Emotional Terms
    [00:32:45] Compliance as a Business Driver for Accessibility
    [00:35:00] Open Source Work on Testing Rules Across Frameworks
    [00:38:00] The Navigation API and Fixing Single-Page App Accessibility
    [00:40:30] HTML’s Forgiveness and the Illusion of “Good Enough”
    [00:43:00] Advice for Engineers Advocating for Accessibility Without Authority
    [00:46:45] Book Recommendation: Cradle Series by Will Wight
    [00:48:30] Where to Follow Melanie: melanie.codes

    Links and Resources
    • Melanie's Website
    • Helios Design System at HashiCorp
    • Cradle Series by Will Wight
    • Ember Community Survey
    • A11y Automation GitHub Project
    • Axe-core

    Follow Melanie:

    • GitHub
    • LinkedIn
    Thanks to Our Sponsor!

    Turn hours of debugging into just minutes! AppSignal is a performance monitoring and error-tracking tool designed for Ruby, Elixir, Python, Node.js, Javascript, and other frameworks.

    It offers six powerful features with one simple interface, providing developers with real-time insights into the performance and health of web applications.

    Keep your coding cool and error-free, one line at a time!

    Use the code maintainable to get a 10% discount for your first year. Check them out!

    Subscribe to Maintainable on:

    • Apple Podcasts
    • Spotify

    Or search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.

    Keep up to date with the Maintainable Podcast by joining the newsletter.
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    50 m
  • Joe Masilotti: Simplify Your Stack, Ship Mobile Sooner

    Joe Masilotti: Simplify Your Stack, Ship Mobile Sooner
    May 20 2025
    In this episode of Maintainable, Robby speaks with Joe Masilotti, an independent consultant who helps Rails teams ship mobile apps using Hotwire Native.Joe shares his perspective on what makes software maintainable—especially for consultants who need to onboard quickly. He explains why setup scripts often add unnecessary complexity, and how he evaluates a project’s maintainability by how quickly he can go from clone to coding.Robby and Joe also discuss how hybrid mobile development can offer faster delivery, fewer bugs, and better long-term flexibility—especially when teams reuse their existing Rails web views. Joe explains how Hotwire Native allows teams to incrementally introduce native features without rewriting their entire app.Whether you’re maintaining a mobile shell built two years ago or just starting to explore native development, Joe offers actionable advice on setting expectations, scoping client work, and navigating modern mobile tech stacks.⏱️ Episode Highlights[00:01:17] Onboarding as a Measure of MaintainabilityJoe shares how quickly he can spin up a Rails app often reflects how maintainable it is.[00:05:12] Being a Good Guest in Someone Else’s CodebaseJoe outlines his ideal onboarding checklist and how he adapts to unfamiliar environments.[00:08:00] Setting Communication and Collaboration ExpectationsThe three questions Joe asks every client to understand how their team works.[00:13:02] Offering Opinions—Only Where InvitedWhy Joe stays scoped to the work he’s hired for, even when tempted to fix more.[00:14:15] When Technical Debt Enters the ConversationJoe explains how debt discussions usually emerge after version one is shipped.[00:15:33] Who Should Read Hotwire Native for Rails DevelopersJoe describes the type of developer his book is written for and what it covers.[00:18:01] Choosing Native vs. Hybrid for Your Rails AppA framework comparison based on your current frontend architecture.[00:20:00] Introducing the Hotwire Native MindsetWhy logic belongs on the server and the client should stay thin.[00:21:00] Bridge Components: How Rails, iOS, and Android ConnectJoe walks through how native and web technologies pass data between layers.[00:24:00] Why Even a Web View-Based App is Worth ShippingThe practical benefits of discoverability, push notifications, and native APIs.[00:28:01] Replacing Unmaintainable Apps with Hotwire NativeJoe describes how hybrid rewrites often reduce mobile code by 90%.[00:31:33] Letting Go of Feature ParityWhy most clients end up cutting features they originally wanted to preserve.[00:32:18] Scoping and Estimating Project-Based WorkHow Joe uses repeatable patterns to price fixed-fee consulting engagements.[00:35:15] Using AI to Translate Between Tech StacksJoe shares how he leverages LLMs to explore unfamiliar languages like Kotlin.[00:42:26] Long-Term Maintainability and When to Touch the CodeWhy some apps don’t need changes for years—and that’s okay.[00:43:43] Why Hybrid Apps Are Easier to ReplaceJoe explains why hybrid apps are often more disposable and less risky than monolithic web apps.🔗 Resources Mentioned:Joe’s Book: Hotwire Native for Rails DevelopersJoe’s NewsletterHotwire Native Mindset ArticlePlease Unsubscribe, Thanks by Julio Vincent GambutoFollow Joe on X (formerly Twitter) and visit masilotti.com to learn more.Thanks to Our Sponsor!Turn hours of debugging into just minutes! AppSignal is a performance monitoring and error-tracking tool designed for Ruby, Elixir, Python, Node.js, Javascript, and other frameworks.It offers six powerful features with one simple interface, providing developers with real-time insights into the performance and health of web applications.Keep your coding cool and error-free, one line at a time! Use the code maintainable to get a 10% discount for your first year. Check them out! Subscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.Keep up to date with the Maintainable Podcast by joining the newsletter.
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    56 m
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