Tech lead lessons learned

2 minute read
Love Jira. The main method of ensuring the team builds the right thing at the right time is a quality & well ordered backlog. The team owns the stories and tickets. The tickets are just a tool fo…
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Why not WhatsApp?

6 minute read
People regularly look at me like I'm from another planet when I say "I'm not on WhatsApp". And I feel the need to explain myself. To save everyone from what is frankly quite a boring IRL conversation …
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Older posts

How to upload kindle fire kids photos to amazon photos
NuGet libraries to avoid
Podcast: using AI for coding
Why is reading bad code so painful?!
Viewing git history for merged feature branches
Don't use Azure CosmosDB
The RAID Log: Your Guide to Surviving Chaos, Politics, and Petty Office Wars
Should you create tickets for tech tasks?
Why user stories should be shippable increments
Running xUnit Test Setup Only Once Across Multiple Test Classes
Running a beefy virtualbox dev server
Trunk based (mainline) development is (mostly) wrong
Why do automated tests matter?
Templated repos with dotnet new
New tool: sln-items-sync for Visual Studio solution folders
New rust and ssbf podcast episodes
git - what do 'base' 'local' 'remote' mean?
Use kdiff3 for merge conflict resolution
What is Hexagonal Architecture, aka "Ports and Adapters"
New podcast episodes - rust meetups and fast talkers
Enabling modern app security
Text-based tools - the ultimate format for everything
Maintaining software - a bare minimum
Zero-downtime website rewrite migrations
Website builders for non-programmers
Always Add Argument (Parameter) Names
The trap of two-stage commitments
Importing Slashdot Journal Articles by Yak
Finding a contractor accountants
Exceptions vs Wrapper Return Types
Taking an idea from business concept to software implementation
How to be a highly valued developer
Choosing a programming language for timslist
Single class per file
Tips for remembering names
Detecting bit-rot with md5deep
Upgrading indirect NuGet dependencies
Phone setup notes
Being a development team lead
Technical phone screen interview questions
Integrating ShipStation with QuickBooks Desktop
The death of custom software development
Why I want you to use slack threads
GitHub rebase and squash considered harmful
Link your outlook calendar with your google calendar
House buying and selling tip - make contact!
Podcasting hardware setup
A book list for my children
Remote code interview pairing tools
Database migration options for dotnet core
Running the CosmosDB emulator on Linux
Effective GTD with Trello
Approaches to refactoring, technical debt and legacy code
Personal backlogs
Fast backup to external drive with lz4
Question: where are we at with dynamic static sites?
What you should do between contracts
Time to "Shape Up" your SCRUM processes? The new thing from Basecamp
Should you rebase or merge to update feature branches in git?
Why I made SQL Schema Explorer open source
Laptop setup notes
Why every team needs a Delivery Manager (DM)
How to find contract developer clients
Setting up a static website/blog with jekyll
Blog refresh - bye bye wordpress, hello jekyll
Database tools I was surprised existed
Teardown of a landing page story
A Modern Digital Government Outsourcer
Always add braces
5 ways to make your database better - by Tim Abell
Building on my own just for you and your database
Building a Windows 10 Development VM from scratch
My Screencasting Setup
Regression Tests for ASP.NET / SQL Projects
Developers, Love Your SQL Database
My approach to my work
Contract developer to entrepreneur - resources
Down with SDV! long live SSE!
From contractor to entrepreneur - motivations
Looking for beta-testers for my new Free Sql Data Viewer tool
Why SDV could be a billion dollar business
Git for TFS users
Choosing wordpress hosting for a new idea
Home server docker-compose
Home server backups
Running sdv in docker
Patreon open source funding
Dustbin of ideas - IT Contractor Buddy
IT Contractor buddy
New home server with Xen and docker
New year new blog
Startup competitors - Data Viewer
New year new blog, happy 2017
javascript dates in firefox and locales
Yet another good-commit-messages post
Starting up a startup
Sql Data Viewer - preview release
100 reasons I hate ssrs
LibreOffice mail merge - "data source 'SOURCE' was not found"
throw vs throw ex vs wrap and throw in c-sharp
Why publish open source when you are commercial?
Bash command line editing cheat sheet
Converting kml to gpx with python
Returning to commercial ASP.NET from Ruby on Rails
Getting rails 4 up and running with rbenv on Ubuntu 13.10
Unfinished hyperlinks - add a todo
Installing ruby 2 + Rails 4 on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS
Java checked and runtime exceptions and how to transition
Subversion to git - the pain retold
AA Gold member benefits, the real cost
Configuration confusion in visual studio
automatic mysql backups
Connecting to smb shares on a domain in gnome
Debugging stored procedures in VS2010 / SQL Express
Enabling TCP/IP in SQL Express 2008 R2
Running IE Application Compatibility VPC under Virtual Box
Poll svn server for changes with git clone
Announcing the Communication Book project
Quote of the day - scrum progress updates
The BBC and the bouncing emails
The trouble with agile is it's a bit too good
Git, Windows and Line endings
Multiple working folders for git on Windows XP
GpsPrune file matching
LVM + ReiserFS for the win
share your test data for your project
Simple water butt level meter
Auto-expanding django formset with jQuery
Data driven test in NUnit with csv source data
Reliable javascript checkbox events
Using Pidgin for IRC
configuring kdiff3 as a mergetool in msysgit
openlayers svn into git
backing up Vista
MCTS in ASP.NET 3.5 - Mission accomplished.
getting supybot to announce new bugzilla bugs
bugzilla upgrades and user tokens
life update - software learning
backuppc and windows vista
git-svn imports for open source projects
mini police eye in the sky
format all documents in a visual studio solution
password-free ubuntu login with facebrowser
error "Not a valid object name" filtering an ex-svn git repo with renames
reseting home folder permissions in ubuntu linux
Don't trust audible.com, it's drm infected and they don't tell you
work at emapsite
New wiki, mostly for car pc
Nightly Shutdown, a new product from Proven Works
A vision of open in-car computing systems
sharing work between computers with a usb flash drive and git
Removing the execute flag from many files
My bash prompt
stop motion animation on linux
Tech support at its worst
Preparing photos for a digital picture frame
Enabling TV-Out on Ubuntu Linux 7.10 on a Dell Inspiron 8500
Making money with free software
xsession sold out
OSS Contribution Number One!
Creating a blogroll
Taking a Microsoft Learning course - my experience so far
Blocking web adverts
Ubuntu screen locking
backing up your home folder
My mum and her super ceramics
Get emailed Tim's blog and photos
starfighter
running partimage in batch mode
bad geek joke: the bourne shell
partimage + stdout, existing code
compiling partimage
tim; now available with flickr pics
Multi-room music at home
Today's project - partimage enhancement
new blog, take two
tim's new blog
mountain bike stolen
a manual? for £££££?!
sailing pics
M4 J11 Reading plans
comedy email circular
Ian & broadband
Get with the (music) program - podsafe radio
bad websites
bicycles
gimp trouble
article: Windows rapidly approaching desktop usability!
cv
colds. ugh
read a book today - without leaving your chair
article: micro$oft battles for survival of office
geek here
warning: geek entry - vim
Hurricane Wilma
trackback
copying all (hidden) files in linux with cp
microsoft office clipart
marketing? grrrrrrr! oh, and greenbelt this weekend
funky technology
tim's technical ramblings
google wos ere
funky flash game
yacht
corolla
post-relational databases in the real world
no patents on software!!
i still hate sundays
Java!=javascript (geek entry)
eBay / iRiver
firefox bookmark synch extension
I hate ebay because...
and paypal aren't looking too hot
Pay as you drive won't work because...
how to destroy the earth
google funds open source development
waaaah!
What's your political persuasion?
some things I'm happy about
more raucous laughter
unblocked!
pointless acronyms
laughing my behind off!
April showers came early. MS vendor lock in.
shock! timwise.co.uk home page updated!
new year? when was that?
ebay - buy my stuff
email security / lack of
update
let the selling begin
i don't do forwards
moved
busy
xmas flash animation
why am i here
Urgh. Not such a toothy grin now.
Weekend
workworkworkworkworkworkwork...
mmmm cake
mourn
b3ta teddy
woo!
website stats
Nothing much
Offline friends
Lecture, 19th Oct
Weekend / Talent? / Sport / Theatre
no cycling for me
Play / 14th Oct
weekend update
Guitar Book
Mr C
Curiosity did _not_ kill the cat. That was the car >:|
Tonight
more stats!
Now I'm annoyed
I know where my towel is.
stats
life continues
roxio
life update
Morzine
So what _is_ the "internet"?
more pics
Picture-skew
Bonjour
Facial Fuzz
Real IT Stories
Biking
Busy busy
paris who?
swimming
an evenings work
taff tour
Commuting by Bike
Wow. I've never had it so good.
Pringles
Another rung on the ladder
SBR
**No Title**
Windsurfing
Blollogs
This is a local village
The Wall
Photos
swimming
sleep is for wusses
Own a domain? Then Fear the "Joe Job"
File manager of fun
swimming
beer, linux & aaar.
Swimming
Dodgy DELL drivers
Swimming
This weekend
Cycling
morning
swimming
good for nothing script kiddies
Star gazing
M$
Balls!
swimming
Hulloa
Things + lycra swimwear & goggles
You, yes you, reading my /. journal
Morning
Swimming
Drama
Swimming
Swimming
Bloody Banks
Swimming
Swimming
Swimming
Music - bad response
Swimming
Swimming
Swimming
Anargams
Also - music
Swimming
Eddie Izzard
Splash
WhoIs Privacy
sooooo long
Swimming
Nigerian Scam
Yawn
bluetooth headset & old pc with new cable modem
light
message to motorola support
motorola
warble
Hello reader
Wrinkly hands
Vodafone - sucking