Why Most Developers Shouldn't Write Their Own CI/CD Tools

Why Most Developers Shouldn't Write Their Own CI/CD Tools

Building a CI/CD pipeline from scratch sounds like a rite of passage for ambitious engineers. That thrilling moment when someone says, “We could just build our own tool—it can’t be that complex!” Usually follows a demo of some enterprise CI/CD platform with a price tag that makes everyone’s eyes water. But here’s the thing: that gut feeling that tells you to build it yourself? It’s your imposter syndrome talking, not your engineering instinct....

November 10, 2025 · 11 min · 2234 words · Maxim Zhirnov
Crafting Blender Extensions with Python: From Zero to Hero

Crafting Blender Extensions with Python: From Zero to Hero

If you’ve ever sat in front of Blender thinking “I wish this workflow was different” or “wouldn’t it be cool if…”, then I’ve got news for you—you don’t need to wait for the Blender team to read your mind. You can build it yourself. Yes, right now. With Python. And I’m not talking about the snake; I’m talking about the programming language that’s been quietly running the show behind Blender’s beautiful UI curtain....

November 9, 2025 · 9 min · 1712 words · Maxim Zhirnov
The Art of Writing Non-Portable Code: When It's Beneficial to Lock-In

The Art of Writing Non-Portable Code: When It's Beneficial to Lock-In

We’ve been preached a gospel for decades: write portable code, avoid vendor lock-in, keep your options open. It’s like being told to never burn bridges or always leave yourself an exit strategy. Sensible advice, sure. But what if I told you that sometimes the best bridge to burn is the one you never needed to build in the first place? Here’s the uncomfortable truth that nobody in a conference talk wants to admit: pursuing absolute portability is often a form of premature optimization that masquerades as architectural wisdom....

November 9, 2025 · 8 min · 1657 words · Maxim Zhirnov
Building IoT Applications with MQTT and Rust: From Zero to Connected Devices

Building IoT Applications with MQTT and Rust: From Zero to Connected Devices

If you’ve ever wondered why your smart home devices actually work without constantly crashing or eating your Wi-Fi bandwidth for breakfast, MQTT and Rust are probably part of the answer. This guide will walk you through building production-ready IoT applications that are both memory-safe and blazingly fast—because why settle for less when you can have both? Why Rust for IoT? A Practical Perspective Let me be honest: if you’re coming from Python or Node....

November 8, 2025 · 9 min · 1771 words · Maxim Zhirnov
The Benefits of Not Writing Tests for Every Piece of Code

The Benefits of Not Writing Tests for Every Piece of Code

You know that feeling when you’re staring at a five-line getter function, and your linter is screaming at you because coverage is at 87% instead of 95%? Yeah. That’s the moment I want to talk about. The testing community has done an incredible job evangelizing unit tests—and for good reason. Tests catch bugs, they provide confidence, they act as safety nets. But somewhere along the way, we’ve collectively developed test-writing religiosity....

November 8, 2025 · 8 min · 1686 words · Maxim Zhirnov