My Ruby Story

Panel: Charles Max Wood Guest: Noah Gibbs This week on My Ruby Story, Charles talks to Noah Gibbs. Noah works currently at AppFolio as their Ruby Fellow, where he does a lot of measuring and writing about Ruby performance. He also writes a lot for Ruby Weekly about Ruby performance. He first got into programming when was in the third grade and he got to use an Apple II in class. In class, they had to draw on graph paper and then “program” what they drew on their computer, and this fascinated him. They also touch on what led him to Ruby, why he fell in love with it, and what he is most proud of contributing to the Ruby community. In particular, we dive pretty deep on: Noah introWhat does AppFolio do?Works a lot on Ruby and open sourceHow did you first get into programming?Has always been fascinated with computersApple IIeNothing beats complete boredom when it comes to programmingHow did you get into writing professional Ruby code?Went to college for computersC and C++Web browsersLooked into web programmin

Panel: Charles Max Wood   Guest: Josh Greenwood   This week on My Ruby Story, Charles talks to Josh Greenwood. Josh was recently on Ruby Rogues and he works for a consulting company called Test Double, where he works remotely with clients all across the country. He first got into programming because he was always around computers because of his Dad, and he always loved playing video games. His first real exposure to programming was when he found an HTML book on his Dad’s bookshelf and he used it to build a website. They talk about what led him to Ruby, what made him fall in love with programming, and much more! In particular, we dive pretty deep on:  Josh introRuby Rogues Episode 347Test DoubleHow did you first get into programming?Grew up around computersBuilt a website based off a HTML bookScripting for video gamesGeocitiesExposure to the programming worldInternational Business degreeDidn’t always want to program as a careerAprissRuby and RailsFreelancing jobLearned Ruby at internships in collegeWhat

Panel: Charles Max Wood Guest: Marla Brizel This week on My Ruby Story, Charles talks to Marla Brizel. Marla works at Test Double and has been programming full time for the past four years. She first got into programming when she got a job at a startup where they helped her learn how to program for herself and she fell in love with it. They talk about her background as a project manager and the importance of empathy for the user. They then touch on how she got into Ruby and things that she is particularly proud of contributing to the Ruby community. In particular, we dive pretty deep on: Marla introHow did you first get into programming?Has been working in tech for the past decadeWorking at a startupWhat was it about coding made you want to make the switch?Likes that there are always more puzzles to solveYou can always be learning new things in the programming worldGet a Coder Job CourseCode is the easy part of the jobHow programming has progressed over the yearsTest DoubleProject management backgroundHo

Panel: Charles Max Wood Guest: Mindaugas Mozūras This week on My Ruby Story, Charles talks to Mindaugas Mozūras. Mindaugas is from Lithuania and currently works at Vinted. He started about 5 ½ years ago as a software developer writing Ruby and now he the head of engineering at Vinted. He also has written an open source project called Pronto. He first got into programming when he was mesmerized by his father’s work computer and always grew up playing games that had to do with building things. They also touch on how he got into Ruby, what made him fall in love it, how he got his first Ruby job, and what he is working on now. In particular, we dive pretty deep on: Mindaugas introPronto open source projectAlways focused on the best way to solve problemsCommunication is keyHow did you first get into programming?His father’s computer at work got him into computersClass in school that taught PascalHow have things changed since you first started?Didn’t see programming as a career at firstProgramming didn’t seem

Panel: Charles Max Wood Guest: Justin Gordon This week on My Ruby Story, Charles talks to Justin Gordon. Justin first got introduced to programming when he was a kid playing video games and in Jr. High when he took some Basic programming classes. By the time he was in High School, he was learning Pascal. He has always been interested in pursuing programming except for a small time in college when he thought he wanted to pursue investment banking. He first got into Ruby when he went to a meetup and found a startup who were using Ruby on Rails. They also talk about working remotely as well as ShakaCode. In particular, we dive pretty deep on: How did you first get into programming?Basic and PascalFell out of programming in college4th dimensionNever took an official computer class after High School until after collegeStudied Applied Math at HarvardHarvard taught him the skills he never learned as a childWhat was is that made you come back to programming?Getting a Mac got him back into programmingHave to love

Panel: Charles Max Wood Guest: Trae Robrock This week on My Ruby Story, Charles talks to Trae Robrock. Trae founded and is currently the CTO of Green Bits which builds POS software for the legal cannabis industry. They have been in business for about 4 years now and are growing as the cannabis industry does. He first got into programming started when he was growing up and was always around computers. He started off writing clients for mIRC where he would write chat bots and code. He got into Ruby when he found that Twitter was written in Rails and noticed that he should probably learn about it so he could get a job after college. Now, he’s focusing on Green Bits and growing his team so that he can make it a successful business.  In particular, we dive pretty deep on:  Trae introHow did you first get into programming?Grew up around computersmIRC Chat clientHow did you get into web development and Ruby?Web development was the only free version of programming availableHTML and PHPGot into Ruby in collegeCake

Panel: Charles Max Wood Guest: Derek Prior This week on My Ruby Story, Charles talks to Derek Prior. Derek speaks at conferences more often and is now a development director at Thought Bot. He first got into programming when was 7 or 8 when he got an Apple IIGS for Christmas and he started messing around with writing basic code. This really got him interested in how video games and systems worked behind the scenes and led to his interest in programming. In high school, he took programming classes and found he was actually good at it and decided to pursue programming in college. Once he was hired at Thought Bot, his developing skills really took off and he has been there for almost five years now. In particular, we dive pretty deep on: Derek introBeing a good developer doesn’t mean you’re a good developer managerHow did you first get into programming?Apple IIGS as first computerProdigy and AOLVisual BasicBasic and PascalHow did you get into being a full-time developer?IBM and Microsoft internships in coll

Panel: Charles Max Wood Guest: Ben Orenstein This week on My Ruby Story, Charles talks to Ben Orenstein. Ben recently just got a new job refactoring Rails apps, runs a podcast, called The Art of Product, and just finished up The Code Quality Challenge. He first got into programming when he was a Senior in high school and took a computing class at the local college where they taught him C, and he really fell in love with programming. He is really proud of his contribution to the education side of the programming world and enjoys being able to teach really complicated concepts. In particular, we dive pretty deep on: The Art of Product PodcastThe Code Quality ChallengeHow did you first get into to programming?Gorilla.basCue BasicFirst taught CHow did you get into programming with Ruby?Studied Computer Science in collegeIT consultingWorked with Ruby at Dana Farber Cancer InstituteRuby Pragmatic Programmers bookWhat have you done with Ruby that you’re proud of?Rails appsThought BotReally enjoys teaching progr

Panel: Charles Max Wood Guest: Mike Gehard This week on My Ruby Story, Charles talks to Mike Gehard. Mike currently works for Pivotal working in the Platform Acceleration Lab. He first got into programming when he was 10 working with his Commodore 64, but really stepped up his interest after he graduated with his Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering and started working at a petrochemical refining research company, where it was very computer based. They discuss how he found his way to Ruby and how easy it is to create things with it, as well as the things that he has contributed to the Ruby community that he is proud of. In particular, we dive pretty deep on: PivotalPlatform Acceleration LabHow did you first get into to programming?Commodore 64C++ in UndergradBachelor’s in Chemical EngineeringMaster’s in Software EngineeringConsulting in Chicago using C++What is your take on the state of CS education?CS degree is not necessary, but offers many benefitsIt’s important to have the ability to be analytical as a

Panel: Charles Max Wood Guest: Mikel Lindsaar This week on My Ruby Story, Charles talks to Mikel Lindsaar. Mikel started a Ruby on Rails consultancy in 2010 and is most well known for being the original author of Mail gem. He first got into programming working as a volunteer for a church where he built a Rails parishioner management system. This experience led him to create the Mail gem, which has really made him well-known in the community. He always like the idea of being able to control and create something, and this has definitely influenced his programming career. In particular, we dive pretty deep on:  How did you first get introduced into programming?Mail gemCoders are humans tooRailsIssues with his e-mail systemDon’t have to be a seasoned coder to create something amazingBlocksTaught himself RubyPHPHow did you get into coding?DOS ManualCoding webpages for the ISPRails is a very mature ecosystem nowYou don’t need a lot of different frameworks to create a business appThe versatility of RailsCustomer

Panel: Charles Max Wood Guest: Aurynn Shaw This week on My Ruby Story, Charles talks to Aurynn Shaw. Aurynn got into programming when she was helping clients at a contracting company deploy early web things using Perl. Programming really clicked for her when she was fascinated by how programs really work when she created her own language. Currently, she works with Python for Lambdas and is doing a lot of client work. This includes building deployment pipelines and helping them ask information security questions. She also discusses programming culture and her views on it. In particular, we dive pretty deep on:  How did you first get introduced into programming?GameDoveMatt’s Script ArchivePerlWhat made programming click for you?Writing her own languagePython, Java, and JavaScriptDo you work a lot with Ruby?Writing software is less relevant to what she is doing nowWhat are you most proud of in your career?Contempt cultureOpenStack Cloud in New ZealandSaltStackDevOpsStartUp WeekendHer Blog PostChanged perspe

Panel: Charles Max Wood Guest: Corey Haines This week on My Ruby Story, Charles talks to Corey Haines. Corey first got into programming because when his father shifted over into programming in the late 70’s, that meant that there was always a computer in the house when he was growing up. He grew up playing games on his father’s computer, and from there gained interest in code and programming. He talks about his love for Ruby and Rails as well as his proudest contributions to the Ruby community, such as the different communities of learning that he has impacted over the years. In particular, we dive pretty deep on:  How did you first get introduced into programming?TRS 80 and WordStarGamesC and C++Getting a job as a web developerHTMLMicrosoft IASVisual Basic and C#Java to RubyHow do you become a good mentor?Background in Math and EnglishWas it hard to get back to programming?Excel and VBA in HungaryIndex filesThe importance of learning from othersNot having a CS degree didn’t hold him backProgramming as a

Panel: Charles Max Wood Guest: Jeremy Evans This week on My Ruby Story, Charles talks to Jeremy Evans. Jeremy has been programming Ruby since 2004, and is best known for working on Roda and Sequel. He talks about his journey into programming, starting when he was in college and took an introduction to programming class that focused on C++, which he found interesting and then took the next courses in the series. This was just the beginning for his programming journey, though. Jeremy continues to talk about his present and future endeavors and how he is adding value to the Ruby community. In particular, We dive pretty deep on:  How did you first get introduced into programming?Roda and SequelRails and SinatraC++Java OutletsStatic sites to PHPPythonHow did you get into Ruby?Ruby was more enjoyable to useOver time, how has your view on code and Ruby changed?Avoid aliasesAutomated testsTook over SequelOpen-Source projectsSinatra is not as good with good cases, Roda is betterWhat’s it like to create a framework

Panel:  Charles Max Wood Guest: Cameron Dutro This week on My Ruby Story, Charles speaks with Cameron Dutro. Cameron is a return guest from Ruby Rogues. Currently, Cameron works at Lumosity, a company that creates brain games & brain training application for web and mobile.  Cameron mention working on the platform team working with internationalization. Cameron talks about his journey into programming, starting at the age of 4 and being fascinated an IBM 85XT computer and flight simulator games. Cameron describes is early interactions with programming in elementary and high school. Then moving into a professional field after college at Twitter and eventually at Lumosity. Cameron talks about his next projects and his contributions to the Ruby community. In particular, we dive pretty deep on: How did you get introduced to programming?At the age of 4, Cameron was fascinated with computers and gamesIn elementary started writing games with Basic and Visual Basic 6Wrote a prank programIn high school moved

Panel:  Charles Max Wood Guest: Sudhindra Rao This week on My Ruby Story, Charles speaks with Sudhindra Rao, Sudhindra has been a Ruby developer for over 10 years. Sudhindra talks about working on media platforms, e-commerce type sights, campaign platforms, and healthcare applications. Sudhindra talks about working in Ruby still but has moved into many platforms and technologies. Sudhindra talks about his journey into programming, starting with electrical engineering, control systems, and has a Masters degree in Control System, switch interest him into learning more about how the software is created and functioning. Sudhindra talks about learning more about operating systems and digging deeper into the guts of software. Sudhindra talks about his next project and his contributions to the Ruby community In particular, we dive pretty deep on: How did you get introduced to programming?Masters degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer EngineeringOperating SystemsDebugging form memoryHow did you get back

Panel:  Charles Max Wood Guest: Reuven Lerner This week on My Ruby Story, Charles speaks with Reuven Lerner,  Reuven was a guest on Ruby Rouges Episode 260 and is a regular panelist on The Freelancer Show on the Dev Chat TV network. Reuven talks about his background in Ruby development, from programming on an Atari to discovering computer science in his college years. Reuven mentions getting a bachelors in programming and eventually getting a Ph.D. in education/learning sciences. Reuven talks about doing consulting and his entrepreneurial journey as a programmer. Lastly, Reuven shares his contributions with Ruby and current training projects. In particular, we dive pretty deep on: How did you get introduced to programming?Atari game console and programming cartridgeProgramming class at computer store at the age of 8Discover programming in collegeEducational background from Bachelors to PhDEducation and education in programmingBeing a little better than the restConsultingTime WarnerHow did you get into Ru

Panel:  Charles Max Wood Guest: Thom Parkin This week on My Ruby Story, Charles speaks with Thom Parkin, Thom is a return guest and interviewer on Ruby Rogues Episode 245. Thom describes the early days in his career of programming, starting with mechanical computing devices and early computers. Thom talks about working with Cobalt and other early technologies. Thom talks about his journey in programming and the developing world. As well as his contributions to the Ruby community throughout his career In particular, we dive pretty deep on: How did you get introduced to programming?Old computersCobaltCompuserve AOLWhen the internet was youngLearning RubyLearning SinatraSite PointGit Git CheatsheetRemote work on Rail Project - for Non-ProfitVimA Ruby method a daySoftware development, Cyber Security, etcComparison to board gamesGhost in the WiresHackingand much, much more! Links:  http://ParaHacker.comhttps://github.com/ParkinThttps://www.linkedin.com/in/thomparkinhttps://devchat.tv/ruby-rogues/245-rr-the-

Panel:  Charles Max Wood Guest: Michael DiBernardo This week on My Ruby Story, Charles speaks with Michael DiBernardo. Michael is a return guest, previously on Ruby Rogues Episode 256. Micheal talks about his journey into programming via building a PC with an uncle and learning about programming games. Micheal mentions teaching programming at a university and learned that most students interests in programming began with gaming. Micheal continues to talks about the many different paths in his development career, including teaching and going back to college to learn other programming languages. In particular, we dive pretty deep on: How did you get introduced to programming?GamesFlags, bit flip.Building complex gamesGamingWeb DevelopmentMindset to approaching problems with gamingHave you worked in Rudy extensivelyHow do you wind up picking a language?C++When back to College to learn other languagesCommunities and languagesWhat do you like about the communities you’ve been in?Going to events - new and old

Panel:  Charles Max Wood Guest: Tyler Renelle This week on My Ruby Story, Charles speaks with Tyler Renelle. Tyler is a contractor and developer who has worked in many web technologies like Angular, Rails, React and much more! Tyler is a return guest, previously on Adventure in Angular and JavaScript Jabber talking Ionic and Machine learning. Tyler has recently expanded his work beyond JavaScript and is on the show to talk his interest in AI or Artificial intelligence and Machine Learning. Furthermore, Tyler talks about his early journey as a game developer, web developer, and work with some content management systems, and more recently, his development in various technologies. In particular, we dive pretty deep on: Writing games out of college, studies computer science.Did web development to pay for college working with PHP and ASPContent managementsWorking with various technologiesWorking with React, is this it?Problems React has solved with web appsWhat is the next big innovation?ViewCreating Podcast

Panel:  Charles Max Wood Guest: Peter Cooper This week on My JavaScript Story, Charles speaks with Peter Cooper. Peter was one the original panelist on Ruby Rogues and JavaScript Jabber. Currently, Peter runs several weekly new letters on JS, Ruby, Go, React, etc. Peter talks about he journey as a programmer started at an early age tinkering with his father’s computer at home. Peter describes the beginning as a hobby until he learned the skills to being programming on many platforms. Peter talks about how he learn Ruby and JavaScript, and in early stages of noodling or learning code. Lastly, Peter talks about his contributions to the community and giving back. In particular, we dive pretty deep on: How did you get into programming?Playing with computers at an early ageComputers were a hobby, rather than a career builder thenBeing heavily into to anything can become your career, age does not matterFinding the skill or passion in programmingNatural ability to see and make sense of codeUseNetAJaxDirectnessB