Alle afleveringen
82 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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Know thyself
1 juli 2026 · 11 min
The ancient Greeks told us to “know thyself.” They probably didn’t anticipate software engineers armed with AI assistants, dashboards, personality tests, and enough browser tabs to heat a small village. Yet somehow, understanding ourselves remains just as difficult and we continue to make mistakes because we attempt things that just do not match who we are... Lees meer
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/know-thyself
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Security is not just a feeling
24 juni 2026 · 10 min
Or maybe: Security is more than a feeling. I couldn't quite decide on the title. Lees meer
There seems to be a pervasive idea that you do not have to "be technical" in order to qualify for many security-related roles. Personally I think that if you are working on dealing with attacks from computers on computers, it might be helpful if you understand how computers work. Health and safety warning: More rant than wisdom in this week's article and perhaps too many references to IBM mainframes.
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/security-is-not-just-a-feeling
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How to start a remote SRE team
17 juni 2026 · 14 min
When you are done with late nights and answering pages at night, a remote sister team is usually the way to go. This week's Wednesday Wisdom explains how to start such a remote team and why Kazakhstan is not a great location for that. Warning: Contains strong language and children should only watch/listen under adult supervision. Lees meer
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On writing interview feedback
10 juni 2026 · 13 min
Hiring is still a thing. Unfortunately, I still see a lot of terrible interview feedback. In the age of ChatGPT, there really is no reason anymore to write bad interview feedback, provided that you put a little bit of effort in keeping good notes during the interview. Throw the notes, the job description, the candidate's resume, and the question rubric into ChatGPT and it will write the feedback for you. Lees meer
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/on-writing-interview-feedback
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A possible future of software engineering
3 juni 2026 · 18 min
AI coding tools are changing software engineering, but not in the simple “everyone gets replaced” way the headlines suggest. The real story is messier: more productive senior engineers, fewer easy entry-level paths, shifting salaries, more software getting built, and a profession trying to figure out where its next generation will come from. Lees meer
This week’s Wednesday Wisdom looks at what AI coding tools actually mean for software engineers — and why the future is neither doom nor hype.
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/a-possible-future-of-software-engineering
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A tiny history of software engineering
27 mei 2026 · 13 min
NOTE: Because of a mistake, this episode has been posted out of order and was supposed to be published on 5/20/2026. Lees meer
It should be listened to before the episode on 5/27/2026 called: Coding with AI tools is still hard. Apologies for the confusion.
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/a-tiny-history-of-software-engineering
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Coding with AI tools is still hard
27 mei 2026 · 15 min
AI coding tools excel at the part of software development that was never really a problem to begin with: Typing in the statements. Because of this, coding with AI tools is still hard. Lees meer
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/coding-with-ai-tools-is-still-hard
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The whooshing sound of deadlines
13 mei 2026 · 12 min
Welcome to this week's Wednesday Wisdom, in which we cover a reader question on how to deal with managers who insist on "accurate ETAs" for software development projects. Obviously, no software project in the history of time has ever been delivered according to a pre-established immutable plan and there is no more common sound in software than the sound of a deadline, whooshing by. But how to convince your manager of that? Lees meer
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The anxiety factory
6 mei 2026 · 14 min
Many startups are anxiety factories. But why? There are the obvious reasons, but there is one that is often overlooked. Find out how that works in this week's Wednesday Wisdom article. Lees meer
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/the-anxiety-factory
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Does code review still matter?
29 april 2026 · 13 min
Does it? Because let's be honest, most code reviews are terrible. Also, what about AI generated code? Warning: This episode contains more questions than answers! Lees meer
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/does-code-review-still-matter
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Ten things not to worry about regarding oncall
22 april 2026 · 12 min
This week: An article confirming the Law of the Conservation of Misery. Rejoice! Lees meer
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/ten-things-not-to-worry-about-regarding
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Shiny object syndrome
15 april 2026 · 9 min
It’s like morphine, not overly dangerous when used sparingly and in small doses by experts…
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Big machine people
8 april 2026 · 10 min
Think big, but execute small... Lees meer
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/big-machine-people
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How to become a better engineer? (bot)
1 april 2026 · 14 min
This week’s Wednesday Wisdom features a competition of human against bot. I took the question of how to become a better engineer, wrote an article about it, but also asked Midweek Muse (a ChatGPT trained on Wednesday Wisdom content) to write an article about it. I am posting both of these articles and you choose which one you like best. This is the article written by the bot. Lees meer
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/how-to-become-a-better-engineer-bot
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How to become a better engineer? (human)
1 april 2026 · 16 min
This week’s Wednesday Wisdom features a competition of human against bot. I took the question of how to become a better engineer, wrote an article about it, but also asked Midweek Muse (a ChatGPT trained on Wednesday Wisdom content) to write an article about it. I am posting both of these articles and you choose which one you like best. This is the article written by the human. Lees meer
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Coming to terms with my unimportance
25 maart 2026 · 14 min
I finally learned to enjoy being nobody… Lees meer
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/coming-to-terms-with-my-unimportance
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Exit Plan
18 maart 2026 · 9 min
Do you have one? Lees meer
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/exit-plan
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Standard Response
11 maart 2026 · 6 min
It has come to this: A standard response to the many messages I get that seek to sell something to me, offer me a job, use me as an introduction to sell something to OpenAI, or get a referral for a position at OpenAI. Lees meer
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/standard-response
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The cost of efficiency
4 maart 2026 · 9 min
Can you afford to be so efficient that you cannot innovate anymore? Lees meer
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/the-cost-of-efficiency
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The one about coding with AI tools
25 februari 2026 · 24 min
If at this moment in time you are not investing in proficiency with AI coding tools, you are doing yourself an enormous disservice. Lees meer
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/the-one-about-codex
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The gift of post-career
18 februari 2026 · 10 min
The subtle art of gliding into retirement with ease and comfort... Lees meer
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/the-gift-of-post-career
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Losing the secret sense
11 februari 2026 · 8 min
It is often hard to move on after an amazing work experience... Lees meer
Article: https://josvisser.substack.com/p/losing-the-secret-sense
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Taylor Swift and the value of time
4 februari 2026 · 11 min
To get something done, be everywhere all the time and persist... Lees meer
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/taylor-swift-and-the-value-of-time
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Short: Seniority is a mindset
28 januari 2026 · 8 min
Seniority is not a job description, it is a mindset you take to every task you engage with... Lees meer
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/short-seniority-is-a-mindset
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Math and you
21 januari 2026 · 12 min
Math is everywhere, but rarely used... Lees meer
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/math-and-you
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How to become a TL 101
14 januari 2026 · 16 min
Not that I know, but here are some thoughts... Lees meer
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/how-to-become-a-tl-101
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Welcome to the problem fractal
7 januari 2026 · 10 min
In 2026, I will again spend a lot of time explaining to people that things that sound really simple are actually quite complicated and that two things that look alike are in fact quite different. Lees meer
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/welcome-to-the-problem-fractal
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Parameters for Success
31 december 2025 · 10 min
Note: This is the 12/24/2025 episode which I apparently forgot to publish on the date itself :-) Lees meer
Full article: https://josvisser.substack.com/p/parameters-for-success
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The gift of nice
31 december 2025 · 12 min
I used to think not nice was cool. How wrong I was! Lees meer
Full article: https://josvisser.substack.com/p/the-gift-of-nice
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Why do good people write bad software?
17 december 2025 · 8 min
Perhaps the hallmark of a good engineer is not that they always write good software, but that they can get bad software working and out of the door in time when the situation requires it.
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Misinterpreting SRE
10 december 2025 · 10 min
Hot take: You might be doing SRE all wrong! Lees meer
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/misinterpreting-sre
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Stress!
3 december 2025 · 10 min
Everyone is stressed... Lees meer
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/stress
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TG Special: A reader question
26 november 2025 · 7 min
Learning happens when you have to sink or swim... Lees meer
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/tg-special-a-reader-question
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Respect what came before
19 november 2025 · 13 min
Respect what came before because often there is much hard-earned wisdom embedded in existing solutions. Also: Replacing working code is hard. Lees meer
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/respect-what-came-before
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The gift of Modesty
5 november 2025 · 9 min
Modesty is not a hip trait in a world that suffers from culturally sanctioned ADHD, but all things considered, I’d rather be undecided while I am thinking, than wrong. Lees meer
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/the-gift-of-modesty
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More things I learned running a small business
29 oktober 2025 · 12 min
Or: How to be successful while making many mistakes 🙂 Lees meer
Read, watch, and subscribe at https://josvisser.substack.com/p/more-things-i-learned-running-a-small
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Things I learned running a small business (part 1)
22 oktober 2025 · 15 min
Experience is what you get when you are expecting something else…
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Unhappy the team that needs heroes
15 oktober 2025 · 9 min
The problem with heroes is that heroics don’t scale; instead: Boring scales. Call me old-fashioned (or boring) if you will, but when I am in charge of running some service, I want my days to be uneventful. Lees meer
https://josvisser.substack.com/p/unhappy-the-team-that-needs-heroes
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Form without function
8 oktober 2025 · 8 min
If you have code reviews without actual reviews, postmortems that do not lead to improvements, and training without learning, you have form without function. It might look good, but it is useless. Lees meer
Read, watch, and subscribe at https://josvisser.substack.com/p/form-without-function
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Leave a sinking ship in time
1 oktober 2025 · 11 min
You might like the boat you are in, but make sure you leave it before it starts making water.
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Show, don't tell!
24 september 2025 · 12 min
If your team's culture is not what you think it needs to be, do not explain what needs to change, instead, model the desired behavior and look for a first follower. Lees meer
This week's article: https://josvisser.substack.com/p/show-dont-tell
Referenced video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW8amMCVAJQ
Thursday Thoughts article: https://josvisser2.substack.com/p/keeping-it-real-about-the-european
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Security is temporary, adaptability is forever
17 september 2025 · 7 min
Adaptability is the new safety net… Lees meer
Read at https://josvisser.substack.com/p/security-is-temporary-adaptability
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Coding in the time of AI
10 september 2025 · 13 min
If you are a software engineer today and you are not learning how to be a better and faster coder with AI agents, you are doing yourself a disservice that might have significant ramifications for your career. Do not miss this bandwagon. Lees meer
Read, watch, and subscribe at https://josvisser.substack.com/p/coding-in-the-time-of-ai
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Be a Player of Games
3 september 2025 · 8 min
Whenever I get feedback, I always check if someone didn’t just explain some of the rules of the game to me. Lees meer
Read and watch at https://josvisser.substack.com
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Scale is the only problem left
27 augustus 2025 · 11 min
People with experience solving small problems often underestimate the difficulty of solving big problems. Lees meer
Read and watch at: https://josvisser.substack.com/p/scale-is-the-only-problem-left
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Consider this: You might be wrong
20 augustus 2025 · 8 min
If you are, like me, a certified brainiac who relishes in spouting endless factoids, I invite you to consider this: You might be wrong. Considering that you might be wrong will make it more impressive if you are right and, as a bonus, will make you a nicer person to be around. Lees meer
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Know thy tools!
14 augustus 2025 · 10 min
If you want to be effective and professional, you better know your tools well and spend time gaining the required knowledge and experience. Lees meer
Read and watch at: https://josvisser.substack.com/p/know-thy-tools
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All communication is strategic
6 augustus 2025 · 14 min
When communicating in a professional context, you want every communication to count towards something. This in turn means that you need to have crystal clarity about your goals. If you communicate without a plan, then it should be no surprise that your non-existent plan does not come to fruition. Lees meer
Read, watch, and subscribe at https://josvisser.substack.com/p/all-communication-is-strategic
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The burden(s) of ownership
30 juli 2025 · 10 min
For the systems you own, do you ever look at the logs and metrics? If not, you are not the owner, you are, at best, the lazy guardian of a bunch of orphans, anyone of which could become the next Voldemort. Lees meer
Read, watch, and subscribe at https://josvisser.substack.com/p/the-burdens-of-ownership
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Keeping it real
25 juli 2025 · 9 min
Hot take: If you want to work in this field, you need to understand computers. Lees meer
Read and watch at https://josvisser.substack.com/p/keeping-it-real