The Case Against Always Using Agile Story Points

The Case Against Always Using Agile Story Points

The Story Point Conundrum: Why Agile’s Favorite Metric Might Not Be Yours In the world of Agile software development, story points have become a staple for estimating the effort required to complete tasks. However, like any tool, they are not without their flaws. In this article, we’ll delve into the criticisms of story points, explore why they might not be the silver bullet they’re often made out to be, and discuss some alternative approaches that could make your development process more efficient and enjoyable....

December 30, 2024 · 5 min · 876 words · Maxim Zhirnov
Implementing Metrics and Alerting in Go Applications with Prometheus

Implementing Metrics and Alerting in Go Applications with Prometheus

Introduction to Prometheus Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of implementing metrics and alerting in Go applications using Prometheus, let’s take a quick look at what Prometheus is and why it’s so popular. Prometheus is an open-source systems monitoring and alerting toolkit that was originally built at SoundCloud. It has since become a cornerstone in the monitoring landscape, especially within the Cloud Native Computing Foundation[2]. Prometheus collects and stores metrics as time series data, which includes the metric value along with a timestamp and optional key-value pairs known as labels....

December 29, 2024 · 5 min · 888 words · Maxim Zhirnov
Building a Distributed Task Management System in Go with Apache ZooKeeper

Building a Distributed Task Management System in Go with Apache ZooKeeper

Introduction to Distributed Task Management Managing tasks in a distributed system can be a daunting task, much like trying to herd cats while blindfolded. However, with the right tools and a bit of magic, you can tame this beast and make your system run smoothly. One such tool is Apache ZooKeeper, a coordination service that helps in managing and synchronizing tasks across a distributed environment. What is Apache ZooKeeper? Apache ZooKeeper is an open-source coordination and synchronization service originally developed by Yahoo and now maintained by the Apache Software Foundation....

December 28, 2024 · 6 min · 1109 words · Maxim Zhirnov
The Art of Creating Technical Debt Intentionally: A Deliberate Dance with Code

The Art of Creating Technical Debt Intentionally: A Deliberate Dance with Code

The Strategic Shortcut: Understanding Intentional Technical Debt In the fast-paced world of software development, the phrase “technical debt” often evokes a sense of dread, akin to finding out you’ve accumulated a hefty credit card bill. However, when managed correctly, technical debt can be a powerful tool in your development arsenal. This article delves into the art of creating technical debt intentionally, a strategy that, when executed well, can be the difference between meeting a critical deadline and missing it by a mile....

December 28, 2024 · 6 min · 1096 words · Maxim Zhirnov
Introduction to Nim for Systems Programming

Introduction to Nim for Systems Programming

Why Nim? In the vast landscape of programming languages, Nim stands out as a gem that combines the best of several worlds. If you’re a developer looking for a language that is efficient, expressive, and elegant, Nim is definitely worth your attention. Here’s why: Efficiency Nim is a statically typed, compiled systems programming language that generates native, dependency-free executables. This means your code compiles directly to machine code, bypassing the need for a virtual machine....

December 27, 2024 · 4 min · 799 words · Maxim Zhirnov