Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur

Software Design - Chain of Responsibility Pattern

12 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This episode covers a pattern that is not as well known as some of the recent ones.  This time we look at the chain of responsibility pattern.  This...

AWS Application Integration Services

10 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This week we look at a shorter list of services in the Application integration group.  The list may be short, but these are highly useful and valuab...

Time Tracking Solutions - Free and Low Cost

07 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We all need to measure how much of our life is spent working.  Thus, time tracking is one of those features that we all can make use of.  The good n...

Software Design - The Proxy Pattern

05 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We continue a look at the structural patterns with a look at the proxy.  This is much like the flyweight we reviewed in the last episode.  However, ...

AWS Machine Learning Services

03 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The AWS machine learning services are more examples of the newer offerings.  Nevertheless, these are growing fast and can help you embrace cutting e...

Mail Services - Free and Low Cost

30 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This week we look at mailing and communication tools.  These mail services have a wide range of features and focal points.  That is just part of the...

Software Design - The Flyweight Pattern

28 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We continue a look at the structural patterns with a stop at the flyweight.  This pattern is one I find ignored more often than it should be.  In pa...

AWS Media Services

26 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The AWS media services are among their more recent offerings.  Nevertheless, these are applications you may find critical to your cloud strategy.  T...

Technology Toys for the Holidays

23 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

It is a great time for us to talk about technology toys you can give or put on your list.  As we wrap up our Holiday week episodes we have some fun ...

Technology-based Reasons to be Thankful

21 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We continue the Holiday week of episodes by dishing out some of what we are thankful for.  It is beneficial for all of us to occasionally sit back an...

Affiliate Marketing Opportunities During the Holidays

19 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Affiliate marketing is a  popular form of passive income.  You just put out content and hope that visitors take advantage of your partners.  This ...

Cloud Storage Tools - Free and Low-Cost

16 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Cloud storage is one of the most game-changing products in recent decades.  We have seen the cost of storage drop on a regular basis, and these tool...

Software Design - The Facade Pattern

14 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we look at the facade pattern.  This is one we have likely run into when we have dealt with complex systems.  In general, a facade ...

AWS Management Tools

12 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The AWS Management Tools are an excellent way to set up, configure, and monitor a cloud infrastructure.  Many of these are free or have low fees that...

Integrated Development Environment Tools (IDE) - Free and Low Cost

09 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most significant choices a developer makes is the integrated development environment (IDE) they use.  Nevertheless, there are new options ...

Software Design - The Decorator Pattern

07 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The Decorator Pattern is not only a common one, but it is also one of the best ways to embrace object-oriented design.  This approach is a form of "...

AWS Compliance, Identity and Security Services (Part 2)

05 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This second part of AWS compliance, identity, and security-related services should feel familiar.  These are solutions that nearly everyone needs, an...

MS Office Alternatives - Free and Low Cost

02 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we will look at Microsoft Office alternatives.  The suite of applications can run up to over one thousand dollars which are not in ...

Software Design - The Composite Pattern

31 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The Composite Pattern is one that is not taken advantage of as often as it might outside of frameworks.  This is an approach to design that allows yo...

AWS Security Services (Part 1)

29 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The compliance, identity, and security services of AWS covers a large number of offerings.  Therefore, we will review these in a multi-part series of...

Social Site Management Tools - Free and Low-Cost

26 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Social networking is all the rage.  Unfortunately, all of those platforms that allow us to share our story can be hard to keep up with.  When you wa...

Software Design - The Bridge Pattern

24 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The Bridge Pattern is commonly configured but often due to templates and generators rather than understanding the true intent.  Since it is more of...

AWS Customer Engagement Tools

22 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

You may think of Amazon web services as all technology-focused.  That is not the case.  There are plenty of offerings to help you run your business...

Software Ticketing Systems - Free and Low-Cost

19 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Bug tracking and software ticketing systems are used in every shop I have ever worked with.  Some of these are decidedly low-tech solutions that are ...

Software Design - The Adapter Pattern

17 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The Adapter Pattern is one of the easiest to understand and relate to the real world.  We see adapters used every day and they have become a critica...

AWS Business and Productivity Tools

15 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This episode tackles the AWS business and productivity tools group of services.  It includes Chime, Alexa for business, WorkMail, WorkDocs, and we ...

Customer Relationship Management Tools - Free and Low-Cost CRM

12 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Customer Relationship Management Tools are big business.  You can see examples in vast and expensive solutions like SalesForce.com.  However, not ev...

Software Design - The Singleton Pattern

10 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The last of the creation patterns we will cover is the Singleton.  This is a pattern that has a little controversy around it and may even be an anti-...

AWS Developer Tools - Your Entire Environment

08 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

As we move through the groups of AWS services, the developer tools group is one of the most impressive.  Amazon does an excellent job of providing yo...

Content Management Tools (Free and Low-cost)

05 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Content management systems were all the rage about a decade ago.  However, that market has settled down a lot and has only a few top contenders.  Th...

Software Design - The Prototype Pattern

03 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Our tour of the creational patterns takes us to one of the fastest ways to create a new instance.  The prototype pattern provides an option to clone...

The AWS Networking and Content Delivery Services

01 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The AWS networking and content delivery services provide you the means to put your infrastructure in the cloud.  These offerings are focused on the ...

Web Tracking and Visitor Recording Tools

28 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A few years ago I stumbled across the ideas of heatmaps and recording for websites.  This is one of the most potent user experience improvement tools...

Software Patterns - Factory Method

26 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We continue our exploration of the creation patterns with a look at the Factory Method.  This is a pattern where we see that instantiation is someti...

The Amazon Migration Services

24 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we look at the migration group of services.  We have already discussed a few of these and will focus on the ones that are new to us....

Code Review and Analysis Tools (Free and Low-Cost)

21 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

There have been a lot of excellent free and low-cost reviewed already.  However, this week we continue our "shopping" with a look at code review and ...

Software Patterns - The Builder

19 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we look at the Builder pattern.  This one is another creational pattern that helps us construct the class instances for our applica...

AWS Database Services - Relational to Big Data

17 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The AWS database group of services is positioned to cover any need you have for storing and accessing data.  We have looked at files and general stor...

Project and Task Management Applications (Free and Low Cost)

14 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we look at some free and low-cost task management applications.  Some of these do more and add on project management or even invoic...

Software Patterns - The Abstract Factory

12 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we look at the Abstract Factory pattern.  This is a creational pattern which means it has to do with creating and utilizing class ...

AWS Storage Services - Low Cost Cloud Space

10 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we take a look at the AWS storage services group.  This includes some of the older services like S3 and elastic block storage.  If ...

Financial and Accounting Applications (Free and Low Cost)

07 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This first episode of the season on free and low-cost tools looks at finance and accounting applications.  I assume that these will not be the most ...

A Look at Software Design Patterns

05 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This season will take a look at the software design patterns that we should know.  Each episode will dig into a pattern and how to implement it.  So...

AWS - The Compute Family of Services

03 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This season (season 4) will cover the groups of services Amazon provides in their AWS offerings.  Each episode will focus on a particular group and r...

Management By Walking Around - With Remote Teams

31 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

There are a large number of management strategies that have been pushed over the years.  The study and promotion of these approaches is a cottage ind...

Deadlines: A professional approach to the Side-Hustle

29 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We have focused a lot on the fun part of a side-hustle.  The goal is to enjoy our work as we pour more effort into our success.  On the other hand, ...

Perseverance - A Critical Key To Success

27 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

When we talk about skills that are important for success, some have a higher value than others.  History has shown us that perseverance is one of tho...

Planning For Fun and Recreation - The Meaningful Life

24 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

I think that we all strive for a meaningful life.  We do not want to breathe our last breath and look at missed opportunities.  That concern goes be...

Cord-Cutting - Easier Than Ever

22 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Cord-cutting is one of the trends of the last decade or so that the Internet has led to.  This is the situation where someone cuts the "cord" of cabl...

Side-hustle Arguments - Pros and Cons

20 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

There are not a lot of articles that include side-hustle arguments.  All of the ones I come across start from the position of any side-hustle being...

The Product Launch - Shipping Your Software Product

17 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We wrap up the season on building a small software product with tasks and recommendations for getting the product to a market.  This is also called t...

Completing Your Consulting Project

15 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This is the last episode in our consulting project side hustle series.  We wrap up the season with a look at how to end our project and wrap it up (f...

Creating Commercial Software - Finishing Touches

13 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Our goal has been to create a small commercial software product, and we are rapidly getting to the end of our journey.  Creating commercial software ...

Implementation Details - Wrapping up Our Software Product Creation

10 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we look at the final pieces we need to code as part of building our product.  Many of these steps have already been taken partially,...

Working The Project - Consulting Success

08 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Winning a project is only half the battle.  For true consulting success, you must follow through with your plan and exceed expectations where possibl...

Building Out Your Application From a Demo

06 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

It is time for building out your application.  You have a core engine for solving the main problem and a clickable demo to show off the user experien...

Create The User Experience - Building a Software Product

03 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We have worked on functionality in our application to this point.  Now we can start to create a user experience, so those functions are accessible a...

Landing a Project for Your Sidehustle

01 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Our series on a consulting side hustle moves into landing a project.  We have set the stage to present our services and "company."  In this episode,...

General Case Problem-Solving – Implementation Steps

30 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In the prior episode, we started out our coding of a solution for a specific case.  Now we move on to the general case problem-solving code.  Some o...

Solving The Problem For a Simple Case - Implementation Steps

27 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We built a foundation for our application in the last episode.  Now, we move into solving the problem that our customers will pay for.  This step i...

Setting Your Development Pricing

25 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A challenge that we all face in our service offering is setting the development pricing.  We know what our salary is and what we would like to earn....

Implementation First Steps - Creating Your Product

23 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we get started on the implementation phase of our software product.  We have a reasonably robust design documented from the tasks o...

Creating Our Test Scripts and Planning for Quality

20 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Testing is an integral part of software development.  It is critical for producing quality and an essential habit to develop early in your career.  ...

Building Your Service Offering and Resume

18 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

One of the first steps once we decide to do consulting as a side-hustle is to define our service offering.  We have the option to be a general consul...

Creating a product specification and defining your environment

16 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We continue defining our product in this episode.  Our prior episodes looked at the problem to solve, the solution, and general requirements.  Now w...

Creating Your Product Requirements

13 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we look at creating the product requirements for our side hustle software.  Even though we have a lot of this information in our hea...

The Kick Off For Online Consulting

11 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This episode kicks off a new season focused on how to launch your online consulting side hustle.  The weekly episodes will walk you through making a...

Creating a Small Software Product

09 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This episode starts a new series on creating a small software product.  Our goal will be to create a passive income application that we can launch wi...

The Snowball Effect of Passive Income

06 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The ability to generate a passive income is a desire most of us have.  We may not recognize it as such, but the desire to live without having to wor...

Securing Your Systems - From The Business Point of View

04 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

When you look at concerns that keep business owners up at night, a few show up over and over.  One of these worries is the challenge of securing your...

Key Considerations When Writing A Code Generator

02 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Of all the applications I have worked on over the years a code generator is the most challenging.  Likewise, it is the most rewarding and painful sor...

Building a Backlog of Tasks in Life to Be More Productive and Create Free Time

29 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Our modern lives are full of work and tasks that can leave us exhausted at the end of the day.  This hectic pace can often keep us from doing the thi...

Measuring Your Way To Improvement

27 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

When we plan our way to becoming better at anything we have to find a way to grade progress.  Thus, measuring is a critical factor in improving our p...

Coding Standards - A Personal Approach

25 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Most of us were just getting started on our career when we were introduced to coding standards.  These are common in the industry and more so where t...

Master Remote Work Through Preparation and Planning

22 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The Gig economy has many facets.  One of the big positives for many people is the option of remote work.  There is a freedom that comes from being a...

Defining An MVP Properly for Your Goals

20 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

When you need to create a minimum viable product (MVP) the process is not that different from designing any other product.  However, the process is m...

Development Language Certifications and Other Tech Certs

18 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We have looked at certifications before.  However, now we go a little deeper in our final part of the development languages overview.  The bulk of t...

Use The Value of Steady Improvement to Achieve Big Goals

15 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Slow and steady wins the race.  This is a fact of life we are taught in grade school.  Unfortunately, it is one that is easy to forget.  Some goals...

An Interview With the CMO of Freeeup.com

13 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is the second in a two-part interview with Connor Gillivan of Freeeup.com (Part One is here).  This time we look at his company and how...

Development Language Families and Leveraging Them

11 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

As we continue our overview of IT and development languages, in particular, we examine the idea of development language families.  This includes how ...

Creating A Productive Workspace and The Happiness it Provides

08 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Your job may dictate your workspace and environment.  However, you likely have at least a little say in the way that space is configured.  Also, you...

Building a Personal Brand Across A Wide Range of Social Platforms

06 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

One of the benefits of the popularity of social networks is that we can build a personal brand and reach a broad audience.  We can open our target ma...

Creating and Pursing Your Career Roadmap

04 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Just like software, your professional development will go better with a solid plan.  In this episode, we look at how to create a career roadmap and a...

Simplify Your Way To Happiness

01 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Life is busy and hectic.  Our modern lives include not only a potentially overwhelming amount of responsibilities but copious amounts of "stuff."  ...

Mastering The Interview From Either Side of The Table

30 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The interview process is a part of every facet of a business.  This is no less a part of IT and technology-related jobs.  In fact, the mobility of t...

Modern Programming Language Types - An Overview

28 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we continue our overview of development languages with a focus on the types that exist.  We looked at some of the core concepts in t...

Productivity Tools For an Easier Life

25 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

When we think of productivity tools we tend to think about our work life.  They do not tend to show up on our radar of ways to live an easier life. ...

Build Your Business With Simplification - A Streamlined Product Offering and Message

23 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

There are businesses that make their mark as a one-stop shop for a broad range of needs.  However, these are few and far between.  The most successf...

Programming Terms - An Overview of Development Languages

21 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we focus on programming terms and concepts.  This is the first in a short series that focuses on providing an overview of developmen...

Top 3 Reasons to Use Lists To Improve Productivity

18 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We have all fallen prey to clicking on a list article of some sort.  This is a well-known way to get readers to click on your post.  However, you m...

Five Things To Take Off Your Plate and Streamline Your Work

16 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is the first in a two-part interview with Connor Gillivan of Freeeup.com.  We started out with a focus on what he has learned as an ent...

An Update on The Building Better Developers Podcast

14 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

  We have flown through the first seventy-five episodes of this podcast.  The website has also grown to over a hundred posts and articles.  Thus. i...

Gain Wisdom Through Better Listening Skills

11 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most significant secrets to happiness is wisdom.  Even though knowing the right thing to do and doing it are two different challenges, kno...

Use Written Communication To Improve Your Standing And Career

09 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Written communication is a significant part of how we work in business.  It is obvious when you look at how much of an MBA program includes writing....

Database Job Roles and Vendors - Databases Overview Part 2

07 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This episode takes us through part 2 of the databases overview series.  We spend time looking at the major players in the industry and then some of t...

How Team Sports, and Group Activities Make Your Life That Much More Enjoyable

04 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We can get through life on our own.  However, it is better when shared with others.  This fact is one of those secrets to living a better life.  It...

Evaluating Vendors and Selecting Solutions - More Than an RFP

02 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Even the lowliest of developers will come to a point where they are asked to look into a potential decision.  Their role may only be as an advisor. ...

Logging Your Work - Best Practices in Learning From Mistakes and Reproducing Success

30 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

There are a broad range of reasons for logging or tacking the work we do.  In technology work, we have such a varied bunch of tasks we perform that ...

Thinking Big - When The End Overwhelms The Means

27 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Hope is a critical factor in a happy life and, in my opinion, that includes thinking big.  The challenge is in remembering that any goal we set is a ...

Recording Users and Heat Maps

25 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most influential ways to improve your site is through recording users.  When I say record, this is not just noting where they clicked.  T...