Learning the actor model through a real case
The actor model is old, simple and rarely used. Its two primitives, how it handles concurrency, and how I used it in Akka.NET to build a small monitoring tool for on-premise installations.
Tag
architecture
8 related posts.
Developing from a narrative perspective
Building the right software has more to do with telling than with programming. Every story manipulates a little, so own the story and pick the tool that fits your context, from impact mapping to the C4 model.
Accidentally complex (and complexly accident-prone) software
Complexity feeds on our decisions, and we make the biggest ones when we know the least. Some real examples of keeping it in check, from a stream on top of SQL Server to an outbox in a 20-year-old legacy system.
Validations, where do I put you?
Where validations belong when using MediatR and Clean Architecture, from controllers to use cases to entities, and how to handle UX needs without breaking the boundaries.
Gardeners, craftspeople, or engineers... but not minstrels
Most team knowledge travels by word of mouth, and that doesn't scale. Techniques for writing it down without burying the team in documents, from the README to ADRs, incident reports, Event Storming, and tests that check your conventions.
Long live legacy!
Legacy software that still pays the bills is a lucky thing to have. Where the pain comes from, why rewriting is rarely the answer, and three anti-corruption layer strategies for growing new software around the old.
Software architecture as a skill
Why software architecture should be a skill the whole team practices rather than a role reserved for one architect, using the rogue from AD&D 2nd edition as an analogy.
Primary keys: immutability and generation
A recap of a Twitter debate on primary keys, covering mutable vs immutable keys, natural vs surrogate keys, and when to use GUIDs, sequences, HiLo or an external generator.