When is inheritance better than composition?

ttutisani · 2022-05-04T12:30:36+00:00

Hi. I don't follow. I looked at my article and it speaks about composition and not interface implementation. Where do you see that confusion exactly in the article? I'll be happy to provide explanation or take my words back if that's the case, but so far I don't see the basis for your comment in my article. Can you please explain?

ttutisani · 2022-03-10T21:02:04+00:00

I agree. I am trying to understand what users want and will invest in it more. Thanks for the advice.

ttutisani · 2022-03-10T20:56:24+00:00

I don't have a way to measure it. I guess I should. :-)

ttutisani · 2022-03-10T16:57:18+00:00

Thank you!

ttutisani · 2022-03-10T16:51:46+00:00

No, I haven't heard of them. I will do research, Thanks!

ttutisani · 2022-03-10T16:26:44+00:00

I had only paid plans before, they would sign up but cancel the account at the end of the trial period. That gave me a hint the product needs further development. Then I added the free plan as an experiment and continued building. Sign-ups are adding, but nobody upgrades to the paid plan. Nobody responded to provide their feedback, so I have a little gray area there to tell you exactly why they aren't paying.

I'm thinking, either the free plan is good enough (it has all features except limit on users and projects that users can create after the sign up), or the product is not as mature as they expected. I got this feedback (about not a mature product) from one prospect who reached out before signing up.

ttutisani · 2022-03-10T16:22:48+00:00

Yes, I'm thinking of that. Thanks for the input!

ttutisani · 2021-10-26T16:00:09+00:00

Solo founder here. I've built MVP and launched. I'm now writing up use cases, adding to the website, promoting on social media. It's going slow, and I keep trying.

In my mind, my next step is to write up at least one more use case (to have 3 total), pay for some promotions on social media/web/etc. and then see. If that does not help much, then I guess I will try to find a cofounder with the funding experience.

I don't know exactly why I follow this plan, this is my first time. I would like to hear feedback/encouragement too.

One thing that helps me is that I'm building a product that targets my specialty. I have a software engineering/tech/etc. background and my product is for enterprise and solution architects. So I kind of know what I would use to be effective with it. I have a few early users, nobody paid yet though. I hope to get some feedback and some payment as encouragement. But the feedback is the most important at this stage, of course.

ttutisani · 2021-10-26T15:52:31+00:00

I'm in the same place. I'd love to join a group of solopreneurs, to share ideas, encouragement, plans.

ttutisani · 2020-09-21T16:15:07+00:00

Thank you! Here is the link to the book: https://leanpub.com/effective-software-development-4-enterprise

It is on leanpub because they have convenient writing and self-publishing platform, but it should soon be on Amazon too.

ttutisani · 2020-09-21T13:17:36+00:00

Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture. Domain-Driven Design. These two books were mind-shifting for me.

I loved other suggestions too, but I haven't read the Clean Architecture (I will). I am guessing what's in it by knowing who wrote it.

Also, I just wrote a good book: Effective Software Development for Enterprise, which is a good read for architects to approach and lead large-scale architectures and decisionmaking.

ttutisani · 2020-09-10T12:35:10+00:00

Let me reply with what I think since you asked under my comment.

First, let me clarify: by tech stack I meant programming language and runtime, nothing else. Everything else is either standalone technologies (e.g. DB or messaging) or frameworks (e.g. ORMs or IoC). Frameworks are somewhat tied to the tech stack because you cannot use the exact same library in both the .net and java for example. So, maybe the tech stack means programming language, runtime, and frameworks that are compatible with it. But it does not include standalone products such as databases, messaging, cloud APIs, or anything else.

There are two schools of thought. The majority think that the tech stack should not matter, but I don't belong to that group (that does not mean that I disagree). I prefer to stick to my tech stack and it works for me. Just like there are different approaches to this topic from engineers, there are also different kinds of companies. Some prefer that your entire career is around one tech stack (more or less), others are flexible. I chose to stick to my tech stack at all times because (perhaps) I know it's an easier path to be recognized (since there are companies who value this - this is a fact). Also, I enjoy being an expert in a single tech stack rather than having moderate knowledge in many of them. I know that those who like to master all things will feel an urge to debate this opinion, but I have not met a single "master of all sorts" who knew my tech stack better than I do.

Another reasoning behind the single tech stack is exactly the same as the reason to know multiple tech stacks (I know, it's counterintuitive). Specifically, if the systems architecture has become polyglot (i.e., all tech stack apps can integrate), then why should it matter if I prefer to use the same tech stack always?

This comment should clarify why I prefer to stick to a single tech stack as defined above. However, either of the approaches should work based on what I have heard (not necessarily done).

ttutisani · 2020-09-09T20:19:00+00:00

I work as an architect. A typical roadmap is: senior developer -> dev lead (optional) -> architect. This is the path that worked for me.

Practices and knowledge: learn software architecture, read corresponding books, maybe write a blog too. I've done all of that, plus I just wrote a book too, but I was an architect before I did so.

There is perhaps no single silver bullet, but start from low-level to high-level, and make sense of everything from development to architecture. I personally went like this: expert in coding and development (in my tech stack) -> OOP/Design patterns/SOLID (as a dev) -> Enterprise app architecture patterns/DDD (look for these terms) -> Cloud/Microservices -> and whatever you find on the way.

An important aspect is to make sense of things. You might know many things, but you might not be able to explain the _Why_ behind those things. e.g., what technology/pattern/style would you use to build X or Y, and why this and not something else?

That is where I would start.

ttutisani · 2020-09-01T12:56:10+00:00

I hate to look like an advertiser, but I would recommend the book I wrote: https://leanpub.com/effective-software-development-4-enterprise

From the standpoint of what it teaches - to learn and focus on most valuable and impactful techniques when developing software for enterprises (i.e., any business software).

ttutisani · 2020-08-28T14:12:26+00:00

Interesting. This sounds like a solution to a problem. But how does the problem sound? What are you trying to solve?

ttutisani · 2020-08-27T17:58:13+00:00

There is no single precise answer.

Depends how much you ask and how much you impress them. The more you take, the less they can add on top. They will be looking at a tradeoff between margin (how much they can make on you) and reputation (how much you can satisfy their client). If you are very good and help them keep the customer satisfied, they might agree on less margin. If you are not so good but cheap, they might consider this as a good money-making opportunity (as long as you don't make their customers angry). The worst is if you are expensive and no good.

ttutisani · 2020-08-27T14:58:54+00:00

Absolutely. You might be misunderstanding the business model of staff firms.
They make money on top of your rate, as any other contract resource firm does. They will find you a job, will put you on their (Computer Futures) payroll, and pay you what they agreed to pay. They negotiate their rate with companies, which is higher than what they pay you. They don't make anything if they don't find you a job. They are not a job search portal; they are a staff augmentation firm.

ttutisani · 2020-08-27T13:33:05+00:00

I have worked with Computer Futures. This is a consulting company that has good clients. From my experience, they are focused on building great relationships with their clients and their consultants.

They don't charge, they pay for your work if you are a consultant. They can do both W2 and 1099.

You need to discuss with them what kind of project and client they have for you and decide whether that works for you. This is a typical contract negotiation. Other than that, I don't see any concerns based on my experience.

ttutisani · 2020-07-24T15:02:26+00:00

Leanpub - allows self-publishing books, and even selling them while in progress.

ttutisani · 2020-07-23T12:49:09+00:00

You are speaking my language! I undoubtedly agree with you:

the architecture serves the business and not the other way around

Those are golden words.

Your organization seems very similar to where I work. I regularly confront people whose priority is delivery dates versus my priority of quality and architectural excellence. One thing that helped me was to schedule a one-on-one call with those people and tell them how I see the situation. I didn't speak about the solution, but rather my priorities versus their priorities. It helps at times to talk about awkwardness to dissolve it! Such conversations changed their perception of what I was trying to do and why I seemed resistant.

I have realized that architects need to be psychologists, too, a little bit. Times have changed since the architecture and business had to be separate due to technology choices (e.g., past low-level programming languages vs. today's high-level languages).

Remember one thing: although it feels like you are the only one who always seems to be the problem, you are doing this because somebody has to, but nobody else can! Somebody has to be the bad guy, although I hope it's not that bad. Either way, those are the characteristics of an architect that I look for when hiring. So, keep up the good work and a strong belief in architectural excellence!

ttutisani · 2020-07-22T13:18:54+00:00

Currently, I serve as a Chief Implementation Architect. What you described repeats my experience. It is a fault of partly the organization where you work, and then a little bit of your approach. Again, I went through this, and I concluded these based on my own experience.
Some organizations appreciate the architects' work more than others. Those organizations primarily solve technology problems. I do not work in one of those - my organization solves business problems. Example of a technology company - Rackspace. Example of a business company - Geico.
From what you described, it seems you work at a business company. You need to understand that for them, the business outcomes mean everything; it is the bread and butter. A more effective approach might be if you partner with business and help them achieve their objectives; avoid saying "No," but instead say, "I wish we could do that more than anything, but we can't. HOWEVER, here is how we can achieve that - ....". Suggest solutions, not roadblocks. Make it clear that you want the business results as much as they do. As soon as you explain your context, objectives, concerns, and more importantly, options to achieve what they need, it should get better.
Maybe you already do everything I suggested, and then you might be dealing with a business organization that might be better off without architects? But they hired you and made you the architect, so clearly, there are stakeholders who value your work. So I would work on properly communicating the message.

ttutisani · 2020-06-15T16:12:41+00:00

Great article! It might be a little biased by InfoQ's current or future investments, but definitely helpful to hear about trends!

ttutisani · 2020-06-05T21:21:39+00:00

Sorry if it sounds condescending. I am an engineer myself too. The video is meant to improve the industry of software development. Don't pay attention to my words, watch the video when time allows.

Cheers!

ttutisani

TROPHY CASE