“In my small way, hopefully I can help push society forward somewhat, in an as accessible way as possible. So you don't have to reinvent this particular wheel; you’ve got some kind of base you can build on. That's why I like to do stuff in public.“
Aaron Patterson is a stalwart of the Ruby community and current Senior Staff Engineer at Shopify. His latest project is TenderJIT and in this episode, he talks with Jerome and Thomas about how his hands-on learning approach created the path that led to writing a JIT compiler in Ruby. In a playful conversation, the three cover a variety of other topics including the connection between cheese-making and hardware development and how finding the “print” for your project is a shortcut to feedback loops.
- (01:52) - All about TenderJIT
- (04:37) - Is Ruby compiled?
- (06:50) - It’s like ERB for machine code
- (10:28) - Hands-on learning
- (13:55) - Pandemic hobbies
- (18:22) - Hardware development for cheesemaking
- (22:48) - From Java to Ruby
- (26:58) - The importance of asking why
- (32:55) - Figuring out project feedback loops
- (34:32) - Understanding multiple coding languages
- (36:13) - To type-check or not
- (44:05) - Investing time in commodity technologies
Aaron Patterson, or Tenderlove as he is known on the internet, is a Senior Staff Engineer at Shopify. His primary focus is on Ruby and has been writing and maintaining gems, speaking at conferences and spreading Ruby's gospel for over a decade. Keep up with Aaron by following him on Twitter at @tenderlove and visit his blog at https://tenderlovemaking.com/.
Thomas Countz is a Senior Software Crafter at 8th Light where he works with a variety of ambitious teams on a variety of ambitious projects. A true curious nerd at heart, Thomas digs into everything from robotics and cider making to bouldering and Shakespeare’s comedies. To hear even more about Thomas, you can follow him on Twitter at @thomascountz and visit his blog at https://thomascountz.com.
Jerome Goodrich is an adoring husband, new dog dad, and all-around curious explorer. Through his work as a Principal Software Crafter at 8th Light, Jerome leads amazing software teams to design and develop thoughtful solutions to complex problems. He loves pairing strenuous hikes with deep conversations and is always trying to see things clearly and with an open heart. Jerome lives much of his life off of the internet, but he occasionally writes on his website: https://jeromegoodrich.com.
8th Light partners with businesses and community groups to craft software that unlocks human potential and makes the world a better place. We’re passionate about designing for people, inspiring through education, and empowering the future. With teams spread across the globe—including Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York, Austin, and Madison—we’re always eager to hear about ambitious new projects. Learn more about our team and reach out at https://8thlight.com.
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Podcast episode production by Dante32.
