2017 Picks

25/12/17

2017 is ending, so it’s time to wrap up what I learned this year with a list of picks.

Best tools

- `vuejs`

What a framework. Finally I am feeling productive while using a Javascript framework for web applications. It is based on solid features and understandable concepts. I was literally up and running with Vue in few hours. Also, thanks to the bundling power of Webpack and vue-loader I am able to organize my Javascript source code in very appealing ways. No rocket science, for sure, but still pretty fun. I’ll keep on using it also in 2018, granted!

- `Apache Cassandra`

This year I wrote a Cassandra plugin (for an IoT framework) and it was a blast. The source code for this plugin is written in Java, so in order to interact properly with Cassandra instances I used the toolkit provided by DataStax. Cassandra ecosystem looks very complete, with a valid documentation that helped me a lot in delivering the plugin in time.

- `Apache Avro`

I really appreciated the features of this data serialization framework. I used it as serialization tool for data persisted in Cassandra using the plugin mentioned above. The way how serialization works in Avro is really easy to understand, thanks to its JSON data types definitions. I was productive in minutes. In order to perform proper data deserialization, instead, I used a Scala library developed by Twitter named Bijection. I really appreciated how it works too!

Best Youtube videos

Best conferences

Voxxed Days Ticino, Lugano
Scala Italy, Rome
BeeScala, Ljubljana

Best talks

Macros versus Shapeless versus Code Generation: What Works, When, and How Much?, by Dave Gurnell
@Scala Italy, 13th May 2017 - Rome
Here it is the video of this talk by Dave Gurnell. He does a very clear overview on different approaches available in Scala to generate code.
Building a tagless final DSL for WebGL in Scala, by Luka Jacobowitz
@ BeeScala, 25th November 2017 - Ljubljana
In my opinion Luka did the best talk of BeeScala this year. In a very compelling way he explained how to build embedded DSLs using tagless final. Maybe I am not so skilled in FP, so I didn’t grasp all the concepts at first sight, but for sure Luka’s talk gave me a lot of inspiration in keep on going with FP study. Here it is the link to the same talk he did also in San Francisco at scalae.bythebay.io.
Introduction to type driven development in Idris, by Marco Perone
@DevFest1 Veneto, 2nd December 2017 - Villorba
That’s a very interesting hands-on session highlighting the key features of Type Driven Development through a safe implementation of Tower of Hanoi game: one compiler to rule them all! Here you find the video.

Best quotes

“Keep it simple, so you’ll keep doing it.” ― Steve Krug

“If a manager wants to run a stable project, he would do well to follow this simple maxim: If a programmer is indispensable, get rid of him as quickly as possible.” - Gerald M. Weinberg

“One’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

Best books

The Psychology of Computer Programming : Silver Anniversary Edition, by Gerald M. Weinberg
Designing Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems, by Martin Kleppmann
Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited, by Steve Krug

Best podcasts

Resolutions for 2018

So far, I have to main resolutions for 2018:

Being more active in Open Source;
Attend less conferences.

Aknowledgements

The first one is for you, who’s reading this post until here. Then, my aknowledgements this year go to all the guys that shared their valuable time and skills with me during conferences, meetups and study groups. I hope to meet you all again in 2018 to have fun together !

Merry XMas to you all and Happy 2018!