TL;DR: Here is a GitHub repo that has a create-react-app project with necessary dev dependencies and the WebStorm run configurations. npm install and open the project in Webstorm. You can set a breakpoint in App.test.js and run the Tests configuration in debug mode to try it out. (This has only…

We all know the line; but a startup should ask: “If we build it, will anyone care?” It can be very tempting to jump to developing an idea and then get caught up in the excitement of creative flow and possibilities. …

I think it is easy to lose focus, especially in a startup. There is always too much to do, so much to learn and explore, changing pressures, limited resources…and the list goes on. For me, I gain comfort and clarity from North Star Questions and Principles. These are a few…

While the title of this post may seem provocative or an exaggeration, when I first read Kent Beck’s Test Driven Development: By Example, it had a profound effect on me. It wasn’t about the technical benefits of regression testing or supporting refactoring (which are both very important and good benefits)…

Open Source Software can be a very good thing; why reinvent something? But its use can make the legal departments of many companies uncomfortable. Unfortunately, I’ve seen a common pantomime play out: a complex or heavyweight policy is established and the organization’s software developers either don’t understand it or choose…

I use Slack a lot. Besides team communication, it is great for richly formatted log messages emitted by microservices. For example, you can embed images and links. Unfortunately, slack’s notification options are pretty limited and features like “highlight” words don’t work with bots or integrations (which are an important source…

Google “strategy” and you’ll find books, blogs, podcasts, videos, cartoons, etc. (I’ve consumed more on the topic than I’d like admit.) At the risk of writing a “me too” post, here are some of my thoughts on strategy. Strategy can easily become lofty aspirations matched with a lot of homework…

A good idea is only a good idea in a particular context. This is the essential tenet behind justideas.io. Sometimes the context is very broad and the idea might apply to a large range of situations. In other cases, the idea has a more limited relevance. …