Brazilian-born developer, Zeh Fernando, chats to us about his love for programming, how he gets in the coding zone and what’s on his radar right now.
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Name: Zeh Fernando
Job Title: Principal Developer
Preferred languages: C#, C++, TypeScript
Projects: zehfernando.com
Tell us a bit about yourself
I’m Brazilian, working in NY as a Principal Developer. I love reinventing the wheel.
How did you get into Software Engineering?
My dad bought a computer for the home when I was 10. I’ll never really understand why, as it wasn’t common back then. I fell in love with it though and never stopped programming.
How do you get into the zone when coding?
I normally need to shut down any kind of interference — audio or visual. So I like putting on my headphones, putting on some repetitive music (mostly electronic), and being in an environment without a lot of people walking around me.
What text editor do you use?
I use different editors for all kinds of different things, but for basic text editing, Notepad++.
What libraries and frameworks are on your radar right now?
I try to play around with a lot of stuff just for the sake of learning, but right now in my free time I’ve been focusing in TypeScript (as a language) and I’m interested in React Native and more Android development.
Do you contribute to any open source projects?
A few. I always keep my own projects going on github.com/zeh, but always contribute to other people’s projects when I see a way to actually help.
What’s on your recommended reading list?
My list would be gigantic, but “Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams” by Tom DeMarco is a must read. It can transform one’s perspective on creative work (including programming).
More specifically programming-wise, I’d recommend “Clean Code” by Robert Martin to read and think about.
And personally, I wish more people would read (and understand) “Quiet” by Susan Cain.
Who do you follow on Twitter?
I mostly follow developers (that I might not know personally), designers and game developers. I try to use Twitter in a non-personal way.
What future technology excites you the most?
Definitely virtual reality and augmented reality.
What’s the most memorable project you’ve ever been involved in?
Pepsi Spire. It was the front-end interface for Pepsi’s next generation Soda machines. It was a product I really loved developing. Developing and iterating over a product that millions of people will be using every day is an incredible experience.
