The Personable Engineer

The Personable Engineer Substack explores techniques to enhance developer and engineer productivity by focusing on user-friendly system design, reduced cognitive load, effective communication, DevOps transformation, and developer experience (DevEx). It champions intuitive tools, transformed work processes, and principles that advance human-centered technology solutions.

Software Architecture Developer Experience (DevEx) DevOps and Agile Processes Communication in Engineering Productivity and Workflow Optimization Technology Conferences Industry Trends and Insights

The hottest Substack posts of The Personable Engineer

And their main takeaways

DevOps: Don't destroy silos, transform them

166 HN points • 19 Dec 23
  1. In DevOps, don't destroy silos, transform them into a self-service bar with an API.
  2. Team segmentation is important to reduce cognitive load and maximize focus.
  3. Effective communication between teams is achieved through work like APIs, libraries, and intuitive self-service tools.

Improving engineering communication: do more, talk less

80 implied HN points • 03 Jan 24
  1. Let your work speak for itself to improve engineering communication.
  2. Excessive communication within and across teams can lead to inefficiencies and tangled systems.
  3. Creating intuitive tools, aligning within the team, and utilizing developer portals can enhance communication and developer experience.

The best tech talk I have ever seen

40 implied HN points • 04 Dec 23
  1. Develop tools that provide instant feedback to keep engineers connected to their work.
  2. Define guiding principles before solving problems with technology for better solutions.
  3. Technology should enhance human experience by following guiding principles rather than just adding features.

22th November Friday Weekly Digest

40 implied HN points • 22 Nov 23
  1. Kubernetes clusters can face malicious scanning attempts within 22 minutes of creation.
  2. Writing clever code may be fun, but it's not ideal for teamwork.
  3. Compensation for open source contributions is crucial as software development requires time and effort.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

A journey into the Linux proc filesystem

3 HN points • 15 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Linux Processes Operating Systems Processes
  1. The "/proc" folder in Linux is a pseudo-filesystem that provides access to kernel data structures, allowing tools like ps and top to query data about processes and the kernel.
  2. By exploring the proc filesystem, you can gather useful information about processes, such as executable files, threads, environment variables, process owner, and more, even without tools like ps or top.
  3. The proc filesystem also offers insights into kernel information, such as the kernel version, configurations, and system uptime, providing a deeper understanding of the system's inner workings.

Tips for tackling large tech conferences

1 HN point • 14 Nov 23
  1. Make a small list of talks you want to attend and prioritize them
  2. Network by making a list of people you want to meet and don't be afraid to reach out
  3. Pace yourself, narrow down your focus when visiting booths, and research the conference beforehand

The issue with the two most popular DevEx definitions

0 implied HN points • 28 Nov 23
  1. Developer Experience (DevEx) is about more than just tools and user experience.
  2. Tools and automation are crucial in reducing friction and improving Developer Experience.
  3. Great Developer Experience (DevEx) is achieved when developers can easily achieve and maintain flow state at work.

22nd December Weekly Digest

0 implied HN points • 22 Dec 23
  1. Weekly digest featuring curated news, posts, memes, and social media updates
  2. Insightful posts on team dynamics, code maintainability, progress in technology, and software engineering productivity habits
  3. Collection of learning resources and tools for engineers, along with some tech-related memes

Coming soon

0 implied HN points • 27 Oct 23
  1. Fernando Villalba's new content is coming soon
  2. The post includes links to share on Facebook and via email
  3. Subscribe to The Personable Engineer on fernandovillalba.substack.com

15th December Weekly Digest

0 implied HN points • 15 Dec 23
  1. 15th December Weekly Digest shared curated news, posts, and social media insights.
  2. Insightful posts include topics like deceptive design, after-hours work productivity, and software quality.
  3. Tools highlighted are Gooey for Python GUIs, Fossil as a Git alternative, and Pitivi video editor.

Introduction to The Personable Engineer

0 implied HN points • 14 Nov 23
  1. Focus on creating tools and processes that prioritize user experience and aid in maintaining flow state.
  2. Engineers, like everyone else, require tools that are intuitive and easy to use, without being overwhelmed by documentation.
  3. Emphasize the importance of developer experience (DevEx) and the need for tools and processes that cater to the human side of engineers.

17th November Friday Weekly Digest

0 implied HN points • 17 Nov 23
  1. The post shares a curated list of news, memes, and social media related to software engineering, DevOps, and platform engineering.
  2. Highlights include the highest paid programming languages, salary ranges in the UK, and StackOverflow losing traffic.
  3. The memes shared reflect programmer humor and insights on operational experience within the tech industry.

What if I told you that Backstage is NOT an internal developer portal?

0 implied HN points • 21 Nov 23
  1. Internal developer portals provide an overview of services and their relationships.
  2. Backstage is a framework to build developer portals, not a ready-made solution.
  3. Consider the resources needed before choosing Backstage or a commercial alternative for a developer portal.

1st December Friday Weekly Digest

0 implied HN points • 01 Dec 23
  1. The curated list includes news, memes, and social media highlights of the week.
  2. Insightful posts cover topics like DNS records, version control, and writing libraries instead of services.
  3. Tools featured include services for managing notifications, running MacOS apps on Linux, and an open source VPN protocol.

8th December Friday Weekly Digest

0 implied HN points • 08 Dec 23
  1. The newsletter includes curated news and posts from the tech world.
  2. Insightful posts cover various tech topics, from internal tools to documentation strategies.
  3. Learning section offers resources on software engineering, container networking, and more.