iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Alan Ridlehoover

therubyonrails.bsky.social @therubyonrails.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Hello, Ruby Friends! New episodes of The Ruby on Rails Podcast are going to start rolling out soon! If all goes well, the first new episode should go up next week. The podcast has a brand new host who is very excited to hit the ground running.

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Alan Ridlehoover @alan.codegardener.com · 27/04/2026

Sometimes you need to repeat yourself.

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Alan Ridlehoover @alan.codegardener.com · 17/03/2026

If your codebase were an automobile, what kind would it be? A sports car? Minivan? Pickup? Regardless, if you let complexity sneak into your codebase, you're driving with one foot on the gas, one on the brake. The more complex, the harder you're pushing. Take your foot off the brake! Simplify!

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Alan Ridlehoover @alan.codegardener.com · 13/03/2026

Bumping for visibility, since I posted this at an obscene hour.

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Alan Ridlehoover @alan.codegardener.com · 13/03/2026

"Red, green, refactor" promotes premature abstraction. Ward Cunningham on convincing management to refactor: "I don't. Two estimates—make room for the feature, then add it." Do structural refactor before the next story, not after this one. What I do instead: the.codegardener.com/red-green-pr...

the.codegardener.com

Red, Green, Premature Refactor

"Red, green, refactor" promotes premature abstraction. I had all the information to come to this conclusion 20 years ago. I'm embarrassed to admit how long it actually took. What makes me say that? ...

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Alan Ridlehoover @alan.codegardener.com · 10/03/2026

Are you a builder who prioritizes shipping software? Or are you a craftsperson who prioritizes well designed code? It’s a false choice. You get more done with well designed code and tests than you do without. Craftspeople move faster than Builders who eventually grind to a tech debt induced halt.

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Alan Ridlehoover @alan.codegardener.com · 07/03/2026

Have you ever been told by an executive that test coverage past 80% produces diminishing returns? Have you asked them which 20% you should not test? Have they ever given you an answer?

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Alan Ridlehoover @alan.codegardener.com · 06/03/2026

I'm working on an idea for a workshop at #RubyConf. I'm wondering if you would find this a valuable use of your time at a technical conference. Please comment to register your vote. Here's the title: You're Right! Going from Disagreement to Decision without Damaging Your Team Abstract in 🧵

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Reposted by Alan Ridlehoover

David Roberts @volts.wtf · 21/11/2025

In an era filled with tech dipshits who never developed emotionally past the age of 13 & use their wealth to become odious monsters ... ... listen to Steve Wozniak.

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Reposted by Alan Ridlehoover

Shane Becker @veganstraightedge.com · 22/10/2025

A love letter by XKCD: What are you doing? Lenthening the sunset Pushing back the night Giving me a little more time Here with you. youtu.be/U8F7UNK9jco

XKCD drawing of two stick figures watching a sunset, with the text:

What are you doing?
Lenthening the sunset
Pushing back the night
Giving me a little more time
Here with you.

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Reposted by Alan Ridlehoover

Shane Becker @veganstraightedge.com · 28/10/2025

TIL: Wubular github.com/RubyElders/wubular > Wubular is a modern re-imagining of Rubular, built with Ruby compiled to WebAssembly. > It lets you compose and test Ruby regular expressions directly in your browser — no backend server required.

github.com

GitHub - RubyElders/wubular: Created with CodeSandbox

Created with CodeSandbox. Contribute to RubyElders/wubular development by creating an account on GitHub.

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Alan Ridlehoover @alan.codegardener.com · 16/10/2025

Hot take: Developers who are happy to complain about friction within a process, generally don't lift a finger to resolve it.

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Alan Ridlehoover @alan.codegardener.com · 16/10/2025

Hot take: Developers will complain about other people's flaky tests but defer dealing with their own for as long as possible.

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Alan Ridlehoover @alan.codegardener.com · 16/10/2025

Hot take: Developers will complain about a build that takes two minutes longer than they think it should, but will gladly spend two days gold plating something.

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Alan Ridlehoover @alan.codegardener.com · 15/10/2025

A vision statement should be an inspirational postcard from an aspirational future. It should be brief. It should draw a picture. It should make you wish you were there! the.codegardener.com/vision-missi... #management #vision #mission #values

the.codegardener.com

Vision, Mission, Values

A vision statement should be an inspirational postcard from an aspirational future. It should be brief. It should paint a picture. And it should make you wish you were there!

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Alan Ridlehoover @alan.codegardener.com · 23/09/2025

Hot take: The Rails Way™ favors modification over extension.

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Alan Ridlehoover @alan.codegardener.com · 23/09/2025

Software that is designed to be modified is software that is hard to change. Software that is designed to be extended is software that is easy to change.

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Alan Ridlehoover @alan.codegardener.com · 28/08/2025

# My new favorite strategy for getting things done. def actualize(vision) think_big start_small deliver_value earn_trust grow_influence end vision = 1 do actualize(vision) vision += 1 end #ruby #vision #gtd

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Alan Ridlehoover @alan.codegardener.com · 20/08/2025

@drbragg.dev What’re you doing in early September?

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Alan Ridlehoover @alan.codegardener.com · 15/08/2025

Compliments are a reflection of the light you are putting out into the world. Accept them gracefully. Others have a better view of your aura than your inner critic does. (left) What your inner critic sees. (right) What others see.

An African man, Asian woman, and Caucasian woman looking forlorn. This is what their inner critics see in them.

An African man, Asian woman, and Caucasian woman smiling, with a warm glowing aura around them. This is what others see in them.

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Alan Ridlehoover @alan.codegardener.com · 07/08/2025

Compliments are a reflection of the light you are putting out into the world. Accept them graciously by recognizing that other people have a better view of your aura than your inner critic does.

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Reposted by Alan Ridlehoover

Aubrey @aubreysambor.com · 05/08/2025

Hi all! 👋 I was laid off and am looking for my next senior front end developer role. I have 19+ years of experience working with small agencies and Fortune 500 companies and focus on writing clean, accessible HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Resume: aubreysambor.com/resume/ Leads/reposts appreciated!

aubreysambor.com

Resume | Aubrey Sambor

A blog about web development, knitting, and other assorted things.

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Reposted by Alan Ridlehoover

Jeremy Smith @jeremysmith.co · 31/07/2025

Speakers are slowly being announced, but registration is open now! www.xoruby.com/event/atlanta/

xoruby.com

Atlanta

Welcome to the ATL, Y'all

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Reposted by Alan Ridlehoover

Jeremy Smith @jeremysmith.co · 31/07/2025

I'm going to be speaking at @xoruby.com Atlanta on September 13th. XO Ruby is a brand-new (traveling) single-day Ruby conference. If you're a Rubyist in the southeastern US, you should check it out! (And if not, take a look at other 5 stops this fall.)

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Reposted by Alan Ridlehoover

Thomas Cannon @thomascannon.me · 29/07/2025

I'm speaking at @xoruby.com in Atlanta, you should come if you care about your team's survivability & the future of our language. 😉 www.xoruby.com/event/atlanta/ Also: first rehearsal of this talk came in at 19m, so I need to sloooooowwwww doooowwwwnnnnnnn

xoruby.com

Atlanta

Welcome to the ATL, Y'all

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Alan Ridlehoover @alan.codegardener.com · 25/07/2025

@fito.codegardener.com and I are thrilled to be speaking at SF RubyConf this November! So many amazing speakers! Hope to see you there!

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Alan Ridlehoover @alan.codegardener.com · 25/07/2025

The RailsConf 2025 talks are up on the Ruby Central channel on YouTube! Here's @fito.codegardener.com and I giving our talk called "Derailing Our Application: How and Why We're Decoupling Our Code from Rails." www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXFG...

youtube.com

RailsConf 2025 Derailing Our Application: How and Why We... by Fito von Zastrow, Alan Ridlehoover

YouTube video by Ruby Central

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Alan Ridlehoover @alan.codegardener.com · 25/07/2025

The #RailsConf 2025 talks are up on the Ruby Central channel on YouTube, including the lightning talks. Here's my lightning talk, entitled "The Other Side of Fear." (You should really watch them all, but this link is teed up to my talk at 57:55.) www.youtube.com/watch?v=XucQ...

youtube.com

RailsConf 2025 Lightning Talks

YouTube video by Ruby Central

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Alan Ridlehoover @alan.codegardener.com · 17/07/2025

It’s been a minute, but attending the last RailsConf last week had @fito.codegardener.com and I feeling nostalgic and wanting to share…

podcasts.apple.com

RailsConf Reminiscing

Podcast Episode · The Code Gardener · 07/17/2025 · 1h 11m

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Alan Ridlehoover @alan.codegardener.com · 16/07/2025

Won’t you be my Ruby Friend? rubyfriends.app/profiles/KVVY

rubyfriends.app

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Reposted by Alan Ridlehoover

Justin Jackson @justinjackson.ca · 09/07/2025

Pretty good rubric. 👍 www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2025/07...

When Focusing on Your Weaknesses is Helpful
Weaknesses deserve our focus when they cannot be delegated, outsourced or ignored. There are plenty of situations when a skill cannot be delegated to someone else:

When one component of a skill is necessary for another. A lawyer who isn’t a good reader can’t be a good lawyer—there’s too much reading in the job to avoid it. Similarly, a programmer can’t easily avoid knowing about systems that interact with her work.
When there are rules forbidding it. A golfer can’t hire a replacement to putt for him, even if he’s lousy on the green.
When transaction costs make outsourcing prohibitive. I’m not a great handyman. I wouldn’t attempt a bathroom or kitchen renovation by myself. But fixing a squeaky hinge or hanging a picture frame isn’t going to be worth the cost of hiring someone, so it helps to learn to do it yourself.

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Reposted by Alan Ridlehoover

Kevin Murphy @kevinjm.bsky.social · 12/07/2025

Thanks to every #RubyFriend that made #RailsConf2025 special. Whether you were there or not. <3 kevinjmurphy.com/posts/railsc...

kevinjmurphy.com

RailsConf 2025 Recap

A summary of my time at RailsConf 2025

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Reposted by Alan Ridlehoover

Kevin Murphy @kevinjm.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

"Smaller things are less complex and easier to test." @alan.codegardener.com at #RailsConf2025

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Reposted by Alan Ridlehoover

Kevin Murphy @kevinjm.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

Now @fito.codegardener.com‬ and @alan.codegardener.com‬ are going off the Rails, decoupling Cisco Meraki's code to scale their team and application. #RailsConf2025

Fito Von Zastrow and Alan Ridlehoover on stage at RailsConf

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Alan Ridlehoover @alan.codegardener.com · 03/07/2025

Cisco Meraki is such an organization. We're old (2006). We're a large team (1000+ engineers). And, our codebase is huge (4.25+ million lined of Ruby). You may not be that big yet. But, you may be one day! Come listen to @fito.codegardener.com and I as we discuss how we manage all of that.

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Alan Ridlehoover @alan.codegardener.com · 03/07/2025

This is going to be an amazing event! @inazarova.bsky.social has done amazing things with the SF Ruby Meetup. I cannot wait to see what she does with more time, more speakers, and more attendees! Not to mention that Fort Mason is a great space! I cannot wait!

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Reposted by Alan Ridlehoover

Drew Bragg @drbragg.dev · 01/07/2025

The weather this time of year in Philly generally changes a lot day to day so take the forecast for #RailsConf with a grain of salt. Here's my suggestions for anyone traveling from outside the east coast:

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Reposted by Alan Ridlehoover

David Hill @davidhill.dev · 23/06/2025

There's a new episode of the Ode to RailsConf podcast up this morning, with Alan Ridlehoover ( @alan.codegardener.com ) as my latest guest. It's probably one of my most personal episodes given the impact that Alan had on me at RubyConf back in November. www.odetorailsconf.com/2363110/epis...

odetorailsconf.com

Alan Ridlehoover - Ode to RailsConf

Alan Ridlehoover shares his perspective as both a longtime Ruby developer and conference sponsor, reflecting on the evolving Ruby conference landscape and strategies for maintaining legacy Rails appli...

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Reposted by Alan Ridlehoover

David Hill @davidhill.dev · 20/06/2025

My next guest on the podcast is Alan Ridlehoover ( @alan.codegardener.com ). I met Alan at RubyConf this past November, and it was because of him that I had a truly amazing final night at that Conference. I hope you'll listen and hear all about it, Monday morning!

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Reposted by Alan Ridlehoover

Irina Nazarova @inazarova.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

San Francisco Ruby Conference on November 19-20: sfruby.com! And you got to stay for Friday, 21, for unofficial events 😎

sfruby.com

San Francisco Ruby Conference 2025

Join us for the San Francisco Ruby Conference 2025: Building the Future with Ruby. November 19-20 at Fort Mason, San Francisco.

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Alan Ridlehoover @alan.codegardener.com · 23/05/2025

Teachers must be solar powered. They seem to draw energy from the lightbulbs radiating brightly over their pupil's heads.

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Reposted by Alan Ridlehoover

Irina Nazarova @inazarova.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

@alan.codegardener.com and @fito.codegardener.com talk about the tragedy of the successful software — Meraki with over 4M LOC #Rails monolith, looking for new architecture to support maintainability at this scale: modularity and boundaries.

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Reposted by Alan Ridlehoover

Andy Croll @andycroll.bsky.social · 21/05/2025

There are few people as wise about software and teams as Sarah. So this is definitely worth keeping an eye on. sarahmei.substack.com/p/hello-again

substack.com

Hello Again.

Back in 2017, I took a new job and stopped writing about software. I'M BACK! I've got new ideas, a new format, and new inspiration and energy. Join me!

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Alan Ridlehoover @alan.codegardener.com · 31/03/2025

Automated tests make the best comments. Not only do well written tests show you how to use the software, they can also explain why. Plus, because they are executable, I know the moment they start lying to me.

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Reposted by Alan Ridlehoover

Drew Bragg @drbragg.dev · 30/03/2025

You don't want to miss it!

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