Thoughts on Software and Technology
It is modern to be data-driven. Organizations brag: “We make decisions based on data.” Having spent a decent amount of time building data-crunching systems, I have a lot of sympathy for this attitude. In fact, I have suggested data-driven approaches in previous articles. But I also think that the tendency to measure and quantify everything... Continue Reading →
In this article, I want to explore a strategy of dependency management that enables transitive dependencies to evolve independently and to disentangle the gnarly problem of conflicting transitive dependencies. Dependency hell is a real place. The times I am struggling trying to find a matching set of dependencies are moments in which I ask myself... Continue Reading →
A large part of the output in western economies is in immaterial or cognitive assets. Even material goods to a large part are no longer mainly valued through the physical resources that go into their production. This has created a peculiar economy in which some big players appear unbeatable. I would like to argue that... Continue Reading →
I have talked about how software architecture design is a way of constraining the solution space for a project. Here is another angle on this: Any attempt to design a software architecture is an exercise in predicting the future. The usual way to make predictions is to extrapolate data from the past. This is based... Continue Reading →
Famously, engineers tend to make wrong assumptions about a lot of things: Names and time are two well-known examples. Maps are a rich source of edge cases. Especially when you start dealing with global maps, be prepared: That weird situation you assume does not exist? Somewhere in the world, it does. This article is part... Continue Reading →
In this article, I want to argue that the unique properties of map data make it a particularly interesting target for techniques such as change data capture in which not only the data itself but also the changes to the data become a first-class citizen. This article is part of a series about the specific... Continue Reading →
Like with any kind of data, to fully understand the map data design space, we need to understand both the way it is used from a consumer perspective and the way that it is produced. Understanding the different requirements of producers and consumers leads to a better understanding of the solution space and the design... Continue Reading →
Map data is an interesting beast. Having worked on it for the last couple of years, I can note that many of the general data processing challenges arise. However, map data also comes with a number of particular features that set it apart. I have split this series into five parts: It's All About Relations.The... Continue Reading →
Blockchains are polarising the tech community. I have repeatedly criticized, that current Blockchain-based solutions are mostly hype and little substance. However, that is an oversimplification of the truth. Blockchains are an interesting technology and they do address a real existing problem. However, I would argue that it is not the problem that people want to... Continue Reading →
The Solution Space 