"Building Evolutionary Architectures" By Neal Ford, Rebecca Parsons, Patrick Kua, And Pramod Sadalage (Part 1) Book Overflow podcast

1:02:08

In this episode of Book Overflow, Carter and Nathan discuss the first third of In The Plex by Steven Levy. Join them as they discuss Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google's Stanford origins, and its impact on the world at large! -- Books Mentioned in this Episode -- Note: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. ---------------------------------------------------------- In The Plex by Steven Levy https://amzn.to/3T2I6NX (paid link) ---------------- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5kj6DLCEWR5nHShlSYJI5L Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/book-overflow/id1745257325 X: https://x.com/bookoverflowpod Carter on X: https://x.com/cartermorgan Nathan's Functionally Imperative: www.functionallyimperative.com ---------------- Book Overflow is a podcast for software engineers, by software engineers dedicated to improving our craft by reading the best technical books in the world. Join Carter Morgan and Nathan Toups as they read and discuss a new technical book each week! The full book schedule and links to every major podcast player can be found at https://www.bookoverflow.io…

1
Making a Dent in the Universe - ReWork by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson 1:10:29

12 days ago1:10:29

1:10:29

In this episode of Book Overflow, Carter and Nathan discuss ReWork by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson. Join them as they each share their five favorite "proverbs" the book has to offer! -- Books Mentioned in this Episode -- Note: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. ---------------------------------------------------------- ReWork by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson https://amzn.to/43vgO7T (paid link) Grokking Concurrency by Kirill Bobrovhttps://amzn.to/4mwuAzP (paid link) Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout by Cal Newporthttps://amzn.to/43bW06q (paid link) Thinking in System by Donella H. Meadowshttps://amzn.to/43xYATl (paid link) Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhouthttps://amzn.to/43xYCdV (paid link) Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker (https://amzn.to/3F94ZfD (paid link) Getting Real: The smarter, faster, easier way to build a successful web application by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson https://amzn.to/3SQlakS (paid link)---------------- 00:00 Intro 01:50 About the Book and Authors 05:00 Initial Thoughts on the Book 14:20 Top 5 Favorite Chapters Discussion 15:00 Tone is in Your Fingers - Tools vs Skills 19:00 Anti-Workaholism Philosophy 22:32 Focus on What Won't Change 27:14 Make a Dent in the Universe 33:24 Interruption is the Enemy of Productivity 39:59 Go to Sleep - The Importance of Rest 46:58 Say No by Default 51:35 Welcome Obscurity - Private Launches 56:12 Scratch Your Own Itch - Build What You Need 1:01:04 How to Say You're Sorry - Proper Apologies 1:04:42 Final Thoughts ---------------- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5kj6DLCEWR5nHShlSYJI5L Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/book-overflow/id1745257325 X: https://x.com/bookoverflowpod Carter on X: https://x.com/cartermorgan Nathan's Functionally Imperative: www.functionallyimperative.com ---------------- Book Overflow is a podcast for software engineers, by software engineers dedicated to improving our craft by reading the best technical books in the world. Join Carter Morgan and Nathan Toups as they read and discuss a new technical book each week! The full book schedule and links to every major podcast player can be found at https://www.bookoverflow.io…

1
Coordination in Distributed Systems - Grokking Concurrency by Kirill Bobrov 1:01:10

18 days ago1:01:10

1:01:10

In this episode of Book Overflow, Carter and Nathan discuss the second half of Grokking Concurrency by Kirill Bobrov! Join them as they discuss the mutexes, semaphores, the reactor pattern, and more! -- Books Mentioned in this Episode -- Note: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. ---------------------------------------------------------- Grokking Concurrency by Kirill Bobrov https://amzn.to/3GRbnby (paid link) ---------------- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5kj6DLCEWR5nHShlSYJI5L Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/book-overflow/id1745257325 X: https://x.com/bookoverflowpod Carter on X: https://x.com/cartermorgan Nathan's Functionally Imperative: www.functionallyimperative.com ---------------- Book Overflow is a podcast for software engineers, by software engineers dedicated to improving our craft by reading the best technical books in the world. Join Carter Morgan and Nathan Toups as they read and discuss a new technical book each week! The full book schedule and links to every major podcast player can be found at https://www.bookoverflow.io…

1
Basics of Concurrency - Grokking Concurrency by Kirill Bobrov 1:00:49

5 weeks ago1:00:49

1:00:49

1
Graduate Algorithms and Georgia Tech OMSCS 1:15:22

6 weeks ago1:15:22

1:15:22

In this special episode of Book Overflow, Carter and Nathan take some time to debrief Georgia Tech's famously difficult Graduate Algorithms course, which Carter just passed! As alumni of the OMSCS program, Carter and Nathan discuss why they chose to pursue the degree, how the course has changed over time due to the improvements in LLMs, and how algorithmic thinking can benefit you as a software engineer! -- Books Mentioned in this Episode -- Note: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. ---------------------------------------------------------- ---------------- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5kj6DLCEWR5nHShlSYJI5L Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/book-overflow/id1745257325 X: https://x.com/bookoverflowpod Carter on X: https://x.com/cartermorgan Nathan's Functionally Imperative: www.functionallyimperative.com ---------------- Book Overflow is a podcast for software engineers, by software engineers dedicated to improving our craft by reading the best technical books in the world. Join Carter Morgan and Nathan Toups as they read and discuss a new technical book each week! The full book schedule and links to every major podcast player can be found at https://www.bookoverflow.io…

1
High-Leverage Thinking for Engineers - Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows 1:05:56

7 weeks ago1:05:56

1:05:56

This week Carter and Nathan read Donella Meadows’ Thinking in Systems. A foundational primer on systems thinking, the book explores how stocks, flows, feedback loops, and leverage points shape everything from ecosystems to organizations. Join them as they discuss how systems thinking applies to software engineering, the hidden structures behind burnout and tech debt, and how to make high-leverage changes in complex systems. -- Books Mentioned in this Episode -- Note: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. ---------------------------------------------------------- Thinking in Systems by Donella H. Meadows https://amzn.to/4cMB35k (paid link) Tidy First?: A Personal Exercise in Empirical Software Design by Kent Beck https://amzn.to/3RoB9pR (paid link) Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code by Martin Fowler https://amzn.to/43Wqk5Q (paid link) Fundamentals of Software Architecture: An Engineering Approach by Mark Richards and Neal Ford https://amzn.to/3Y7CNjk (paid link) One Nation Under Blackmail, Vol. 1: The Sordid Union Between Intelligence and Crime that Gave Rise to Jeffrey Epstein by Whitney Alyse Webb https://amzn.to/3RsMt4f (paid link) Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout by Cal Newport https://amzn.to/3EH8MAe (paid link) The Software Engineer's Guidebook: Navigating Senior, Tech Lead, and Staff Engineer Positions at Tech Companies and Startups by Gergely Orosz https://amzn.to/3ExwPSa (paid link) What Is ChatGPT Doing ... and Why Does It Work? by Stephen Wolfram https://amzn.to/4iuSUim (paid link) ---------------- 00:00 Intro 01:41 About the Book 03:43 Thoughts on the Book 08:07 Covering the Foundations and Defining Terms 16:36 Feedback loops 22:31 Overconfidence and why models lead us astray. 35:56 Paradigms and Framing 49:30 Leverage Points 01:02:04 Final Thoughts ---------------- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5kj6DLCEWR5nHShlSYJI5L Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/book-overflow/id1745257325 X: https://x.com/bookoverflowpod Carter on X: https://x.com/cartermorgan Nathan's Functionally Imperative: www.functionallyimperative.com ---------------- Book Overflow is a podcast for software engineers, by software engineers dedicated to improving our craft by reading the best technical books in the world. Join Carter Morgan and Nathan Toups as they read and discuss a new technical book each week! The full book schedule and links to every major podcast player can be found at https://www.bookoverflow.io…

1
Balancing Features and Systems Improvements - The Good News Factory by Kent Beck 1:04:50

9 weeks ago1:04:50

1:04:50

This week Carter and Nathan read the Kent Beck's The Good News Factory. A sequel to Tidy First?, The Good News Factory explores the economics of software and instructs tech executives on how to produce teams that are constantly delivering good news. Join them as they discuss balancing feature development and systems improvment, the economic incentives of software, and more! -- Books Mentioned in this Episode -- Note: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. ---------------------------------------------------------- ---------------- 00:00 Intro 12:23 About the Book 14:08 Thoughts on the Book 16:24 Features, Structure, Coupling, and Cohesion 33:13 Responding to Organizational Changes 42:12 3X: Explore, Expand, and Extract 56:54 Final Thoughts ---------------- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5kj6DLCEWR5nHShlSYJI5L Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/book-overflow/id1745257325 X: https://x.com/bookoverflowpod Carter on X: https://x.com/cartermorgan Nathan's Functionally Imperative: www.functionallyimperative.com ---------------- Book Overflow is a podcast for software engineers, by software engineers dedicated to improving our craft by reading the best technical books in the world. Join Carter Morgan and Nathan Toups as they read and discuss a new technical book each week! The full book schedule and links to every major podcast player can be found at https://www.bookoverflow.io…

1
John Ousterhout and Robert "Uncle Bob" Martin Discuss Their Software Philosophies 53:48

10 weeks ago53:48

53:48

Following up on their recent discussion on software design (inspired by Book Overflow!), John Ousterhout and Robert "Uncle Bob" Martin join Carter and Nathan for their first ever joint interview! Join them as they discuss what it was like working together, how the discussion came to be, and what they both learned from the process! Ousterhout/Martin Discussion: https://github.com/johnousterhout/aposd-vs-clean-code -- Books Mentioned in this Episode -- Note: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. ---------------------------------------------------------- A Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhouthttps://amzn.to/3XCPliz (Paid Link)Clean Code by Robert Martinhttps://amzn.to/4iJ4Ttq (Paid Link) Clean Coder, The: A Code of Conduct for Professional Programmers by Robert C. Martin https://amzn.to/3E9zf9l (Paid Link) We, Programmers: A Chronicle of Coders from Ada to AI by Robert Martin https://amzn.to/42aW194 (Paid Link) Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software by Erich Gamma, Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson, John Vlissides https://amzn.to/4hRbYa3 (Paid Link) Structured Analysis and System Specification by Tom DeMarco, P. J. Plauger https://amzn.to/3E0Y7QD (Paid Link) Practical Guide to Structured Systems Design by Meilir Page-Jones https://amzn.to/4hNd8mV (Paid Link) Design by Contract: By Example First Edition by Richard Mitchell, Jim McKim, Bertrand Meyer https://amzn.to/4i4X6VW (Paid Link) Structured Programming by Edsger Wybe Dijkstra, C. A. R. Hoare, Ole-Johan Dahl https://amzn.to/42fXfzX (Paid Link) On the Criteria To Be Used in Decomposing Systems into Modules by D.L. Parnas https://wstomv.win.tue.nl/edu/2ip30/references/criteria_for_modularization.pdf ---------------- 00:00 Intro 03:11 Origin of the debate 06:52 Motivation for the debate 11:35 How did you settle on the terms of the debate? 14:30 Overcoming Self-Doubt and Engaging with others 20:06 Influences in Developing Design Aesthetics 28:45 Taking time for Deep Thinking vs Shallow thinking 33:58 Writing Code and Reducing Cognative Load 39:05 Encouraging healthy debate 42:38 Coding Style, Retirement, and what’s next 49:40 Final Thoughts ---------------- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5kj6DLCEWR5nHShlSYJI5L Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/book-overflow/id1745257325 X: https://x.com/bookoverflowpod Carter on X: https://x.com/cartermorgan Nathan's Functionally Imperative: www.functionallyimperative.com ---------------- Book Overflow is a podcast for software engineers, by software engineers dedicated to improving our craft by reading the best technical books in the world. Join Carter Morgan and Nathan Toups as they read and discuss a new technical book each week! The full book schedule and links to every major podcast player can be found at https://www.bookoverflow.io…

1
Is Worse Better? - Worse is Better by Richard P. Gabriel 1:08:07

11 weeks ago1:08:07

1:08:07

This week Carter and Nathan take a break from books and discuss the the seminal Worse is Better essays by Richard P. Gabriel. Join them as they how Unix and C were once perceived, tradeoffs in software design, and whether or not worse is truly better! -- Books Mentioned in this Episode -- Note: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. ---------------------------------------------------------- Worse is Better https://www.dreamsongs.com/WorseIsBetter.html Rise of Worse is Better https://www.dreamsongs.com/RiseOfWorseIsBetter.html ---------------- 00:00 Intro 01:37 About the Essays 06:18 Thoughts on the Essays 15:48 "the right thing" vs "worse is better" or MIT vs New Jersey 39:59 Usefulness: Why worse beats better 49:41 when worse is worse 57:31 Final Thoughts ---------------- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5kj6DLCEWR5nHShlSYJI5L Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/book-overflow/id1745257325 X: https://x.com/bookoverflowpod Carter on X: https://x.com/cartermorgan Nathan's Functionally Imperative: www.functionallyimperative.com ---------------- Book Overflow is a podcast for software engineers, by software engineers dedicated to improving our craft by reading the best technical books in the world. Join Carter Morgan and Nathan Toups as they read and discuss a new technical book each week! The full book schedule and links to every major podcast player can be found at https://www.bookoverflow.io…

1
Gergely Orosz Reflects on The Software Engineer's Guidebook 1:11:28

11 weeks ago1:11:28

1:11:28

In this episode, Gergely Orosz joins Carter and Nathan to discuss his book The Software Engineer's Guidebook. Join them as Gergely reflects on the differences between writing a book and The Pragmatic Engineer newsletter, the importance of professional networks, and the state of the hiring market today! https://www.pragmaticengineer.com/ -- Books Mentioned in this Episode -- Note: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. ---------------------------------------------------------- The Software Engineer's Guidebook https://amzn.to/41AxMAL (Paid Link) Thinking in Systems by Donella H. Meadows https://amzn.to/4kGtmkI (Paid Link) Tidy First?: A Personal Exercise in Empirical Software Design by Kent Beck https://amzn.to/4bHoNCv (Paid Link) Become an Effective Software Engineering Manager: How to Be the Leader Your Development Team Needs by Dr. James Stanier https://amzn.to/4kCzvhD (Paid Link) The Engineering Executive's Primer: Impactful Technical Leadership by Will Larsonhttps://amzn.to/4hpRDIS (Paid Link) ---------------- 00:00 Intro 02:11 What inspired you to write the book? 08:46 Gaining the Vocabulary and learning on your own 13:45 Writing a Newsletter vs Writing a Book 22:55 Taking initiative and Embracing Curiosity 35:30 Working Remotely and Cultivating Connections 41:13 Periodic Effort: Stretching, Executing, and Coasting 46:41 Navigating Company Cultures 50:05 The Future of Interviews: AI Cheating and the end of the Remote Interviews 58:33 How the job market has changed 01:05:10 Closing Thoughts Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5kj6DLCEWR5nHShlSYJI5L Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/book-overflow/id1745257325 X: https://x.com/bookoverflowpod Carter on X: https://x.com/cartermorgan Nathan's Functionally Imperative: www.functionallyimperative.com ---------------- Book Overflow is a podcast for software engineers, by software engineers dedicated to improving our craft by reading the best technical books in the world. Join Carter Morgan and Nathan Toups as they read and discuss a new technical book each week! The full book schedule and links to every major podcast player can be found at https://www.bookoverflow.io…

1
More on System Design Interviews - System Design Interview by Alex Xu 53:50

12 weeks ago53:50

53:50

This week Carter and Nathan discuss the second half of System Design Interview by Alex Xu. Join them as they discuss how system design interviews prepare you for daily work, what system design questions they've been asked in the past, and their thoughts on Apple Intelligence! Byte Byte Go: https://bytebytego.com/ -- Books Mentioned in this Episode -- Note: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. ---------------------------------------------------------- System Design Interview by Alex Xu https://amzn.to/4iUR9vg (paid link) ----- 00:00 Intro 03:30 Thoughts on the Book 14:01 Nathan's Favorite Case Study and Thoughts on Take-Home Problems 21:23 non sequitur: Applying for Jobs, Recruiters, and Compensation 36:03 non sequitur: roasting Apple on how bad Siri is right now. 41:57 Carter's favorite case study and New books for the backlog 49:07 Final Thoughts ---------------- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5kj6DLCEWR5nHShlSYJI5L Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/book-overflow/id1745257325 X: https://x.com/bookoverflowpod Carter on X: https://x.com/cartermorgan Nathan's Functionally Imperative: www.functionallyimperative.com ---------------- Book Overflow is a podcast for software engineers, by software engineers dedicated to improving our craft by reading the best technical books in the world. Join Carter Morgan and Nathan Toups as they read and discuss a new technical book each week! The full book schedule and links to every major podcast player can be found at https://www.bookoverflow.io…

1
Carson Gross (Creator of HTMX) Reflects on Hypermedia Systems 1:05:59

14 weeks ago1:05:59

1:05:59

In this episode, Carson Gross joins Carter and Nathan to discuss his book Hypermedia Systems Join them as Carson reflects on the process of publishing the book, the development of HTMX, and how to deal with setbacks! John Ousterhout and Bob Martin Conversationhttps://github.com/johnousterhout/aposd-vs-clean-code Fixi.js (a new project from Carson Gross)https://github.com/bigskysoftware/fixi Triptych - New Attributes for HTML https://github.com/alexpetros/triptychHTMXhttps://htmx.org/-- Books Mentioned in this Episode --Note: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.----------------------------------------------------------Hypermedia Systemshttps://amzn.to/4iou43T (Paid Link)Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhouthttps://amzn.to/4bEVMHp (Paid Link) The Master and Margarita: 50th-Anniversary Edition by Mikhail Bulgakov https://amzn.to/3R1pzR3 (Paid Link) Worse is Better (essay)https://www.dreamsongs.com/WorseIsBetter.html No Silver Bullet https://worrydream.com/refs/Brooks_1986_-_No_Silver_Bullet.pdf---------------- 00:00 Intro 01:47 What Inspired you to write Hypermedia Systems 07:37 Challenging Assumptions, Hypermedia, Javascript, and Worse is Better 13:51 Roy Fielding, REST, HATEOAS and mispronouncing things. 16:15 What is the most surprising outcome of writing Hypermedia Systems? 19:42 Creating fixi.js 28:32 Discussing Progressive Enhancement, Triptych, and Browser Standards 35:40 Dealing with Setbacks and Success 41:01 No Silver Bullet, and the Ousterhout and Martin debate 50:00 What if No HTMX? Hypercard 56:11 Tool chains, debuggers, and developer expectations 01:01:29 Final Thoughts ---------------- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5kj6DLCEWR5nHShlSYJI5L Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/book-overflow/id1745257325 X: https://x.com/bookoverflowpod Carter on X: https://x.com/cartermorgan Nathan's Functionally Imperative: www.functionallyimperative.com ---------------- Book Overflow is a podcast for software engineers, by software engineers dedicated to improving our craft by reading the best technical books in the world. Join Carter Morgan and Nathan Toups as they read and discuss a new technical book each week! The full book schedule and links to every major podcast player can be found at https://www.bookoverflow.io…

1
Acing the System Design Interview - System Design Interview by Alex Xu 1:02:21

14 weeks ago1:02:21

1:02:21

This week Carter and Nathan discuss the first half of System Design Interview by Alex Xu. Join them as they discuss Alex's excellent newsletter Byte Byte Go, how systems design interviews reflect actual jobs, and what tips and tricks Alex offers to ace your interviews! Byte Byte Go: https://bytebytego.com/ -- Books Mentioned in this Episode --Note: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.----------------------------------------------------------System Design Interview – An insider's guide by Alex Xu https://amzn.to/3EXFYUa (paid link)Team Topologies by Matthew Skelton and Manuel Paishttps://amzn.to/4kgfH3F (paid link)---------------- 00:00 Intro 01:33 About the Book 03:08 Thoughts on the Book 11:57 What is a Systems Design Interview? 22:15 Why focus on Systems Design Interview? 27:26 Our Experience with System Design Interviews 36:09 Strategies, Approach, and Expertise 40:20 Importance of Back of the Envelope Calculations 45:39 Learning through building 57:02 Final Thoughts ---------------- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5kj6DLCEWR5nHShlSYJI5L Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/book-overflow/id1745257325 X: https://x.com/bookoverflowpod Carter on X: https://x.com/cartermorgan Nathan's Functionally Imperative: www.functionallyimperative.com ---------------- Book Overflow is a podcast for software engineers, by software engineers dedicated to improving our craft by reading the best technical books in the world. Join Carter Morgan and Nathan Toups as they read and discuss a new technical book each week! The full book schedule and links to every major podcast player can be found at https://www.bookoverflow.io…

1
Evolving Your Software Teams - Team Topologies by Matthew Skelton & Manuel Pais 1:09:07

15 weeks ago1:09:07

1:09:07

In this episode of Book Overflow, Carter and Nathan discuss the second half of Team Topologies by Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais. Join them as they discuss how teams evolve, when you can tell a team might be reaching its breaking point, and what a company needs beyond the team topologies! -- Books Mentioned in this Episode -- Note: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. ---------------------------------------------------------- Team Topologies by Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais https://amzn.to/4kgfH3F (paid link) ---------------- 00:00 Intro 01:26 About the Book 03:10 Thoughts on the Book 09:20 Team Interaction Modes 41:01 Changing Team Structures 01:05:04 Final Thoughts ---------------- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5kj6DLCEWR5nHShlSYJI5L Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/book-overflow/id1745257325 X: https://x.com/bookoverflowpod Carter on X: https://x.com/cartermorgan Nathan's Functionally Imperative: www.functionallyimperative.com ---------------- Book Overflow is a podcast for software engineers, by software engineers dedicated to improving our craft by reading the best technical books in the world. Join Carter Morgan and Nathan Toups as they read and discuss a new technical book each week! The full book schedule and links to every major podcast player can be found at https://www.bookoverflow.io…

1
Building Effective Teams - Team Topologies by Matthew Skelton & Manuel Pais 1:15:13

16 weeks ago1:15:13