Exploring the human factors that make software engineering so unique, so difficult, so important and all consuming. Learning to work with the systems, not against them.
The Human Software 281 - When Does Change Happen?
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Working in software you get to see some pretty stupid stuff. And I mean crazy, stupid stuff. Decisions that float down from on high from multiple disparate spheres of influence - sales teams, other business units or just vice-presidents with a Great New Idea[tm] or a pet project. The narrative goes a little like this - the important people get to make choices and us techies have to live with consequences them. Sometimes these decisions are on a whim, an industry hype, a desperate attempt to make an impact or even occasionally in the misbegotten idea that it does some good for the company. The techies sit and watch the ideas come and go while we sit here doing what we do best - fixing stuff while the rest of the business tries to screw it all up. Of course, this is only our perspective. Not everyone would agree with it. But whichever way, when really significant change in the business or in a technology occurs - can we even recognise it anymore? The chances are that now, in the midst of the ongoing AI revolution, there is too much noise both inside and outside the technology business to make any sense of the signals that are coming through. So why worry? In the same way we can decide to turn the sound down on the news or turn off our mobile phone, we shouldn't focus on the hype. Instead, we should focuss on what's important - the people we work with, the people we live with, the people who matter. I'll be in London this week, once again at the Fast Flow Conference. This time I'll be distributing copies of Human Software to those who have prepurchased as well as giving a few away to those who have been kind enough to review it. If you're attending then let me know and I can reserve you a copy. Feel free to come and say hello if you see me around. And a reminder that I'm having a little, informal launch party at The Wheatsheaf in the West End on Wednesday 15th October. There will be no presentation, just a meet up and I won't be providing drinks but I'm pleased to say hello and discuss the book! Have a great Sunday! Why Did I Write a Novel about IT and Software Engineering?Published on October 10, 2025 When I look at my career trajectory, it’s a bit like a misfiring rocket. I started as a passionate techie, then became a stone-cold contractor, an Open-Source Warrior, a justified team lead, a passionate Product Owner, an unconvincing consultant, and then a confused manager. Now, I’m a contented DevOps engineer and author. So how did… Read More »Why Did I Write a Novel about IT and Software Engineering?
Is Self-Publishing Something for You?Published on October 7, 2025 I attended a discussion at the Amercian Book Center in Amsterdam last month. Authors, readers and agents met with some representatives of the traditional publishing industry and heard their tips for succeeding in 2025 and beyond. What was clear from the fifty or so attendees was that self-publishing is already very popular and continues to… Read More »Is Self-Publishing Something for You?
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The Human Engineer
Exploring the human factors that make software engineering so unique, so difficult, so important and all consuming. Learning to work with the systems, not against them.
Conference season hit Amsterdam last month with the global juggernaut that is Kubecon but I eschewed the noise of that particular enormous techie event and went instead to the writer-friendly event "Stories Unfold" at Amsterdam's OBA theatre. This was a very pleasant evening giving a selection of self-published and traditionally published authors a stage to share the stories behind their books and also highlighted a new compilation of short stories. The audience was very much made up of...
Twenty years ago I was living in Taunton in the South-West of the UK and travelling by car to work in Bournemouth to work for a big, famous American investment bank as a technical consultant. I'd been hired to be part of a helpdesk which was on-call to supply first line support to portfolio managers who were booking trades for their clients. But me being a techie, I was there to bring technical expertise and solutions to a team that was struggling. I aced the assignment. Providing a technical...
January is over. The longest month! I managed to get a break in Chamonix, nominally to do some skiing, but for the most part it was marvelling at the beauty of it all. The world around us. So, I'm in the alps taking a break from the uncertainty of the present and facing my own mortality on the gentlest slopes near Mont Blanc. It's wonderful being up there with friends, I feel very lucky, and I also don't feel any real need to push myself like I would have done in the older days. I went out...