We’ve had another successful meeting of the Rzeszów Ruby User Group and we’re eager to share our thoughts and impressions! iRonin is the proud sponsor of RRUG. Our developers are active members of the community and enjoy sharing their knowledge through presentations on various Ruby-related topics. This time, they were there to listen to two other speakers, who talked about building apps using hexagonal architecture and about what it means to be a “senior” developer.
RRUG meetings aren’t just about Ruby and its framework, Ruby on Rails. The community is open to exploring solutions offered by different programming languages, general programming practices and discussions that take them beyond the limits of a single technology. Their most recent meeting was an example of this, as the conversation moved towards hexagonal architecture and the various aspects of the senior developer title.
Waldemar Mękal, a .NET expert, was the first speaker. He presented the main concepts behind hexagonal architecture, which has business logic at the core and isn’t dependent on any particular framework, and communicating with other parts of the app through ports and adapters. He pointed out the benefits of this approach, which included running the app in various contexts, such as on production, for integration testing and for unit testing. This type of architecture can be invaluable in projects with complex business logic. However, simple apps based on CRUDs can’t fully leverage its advantages, and the result might be a lot of redundant code.
The second presentation, delivered by Maciej Rząsa, opened a discussion on the meaning of “senior” developer jobs. The group contemplated whether a Senior Ruby Developer, for example, could also be considered a senior in any other technology. They arrived at the conclusion that a long and varied programming experience is a mandatory characteristic of a senior developer - though not in itself enough of a reason to apply that title to someone. Several layers of senior development were explored: knowledge on a particular language or technology, general programming knowledge (architectures, best practices, rules of writing good code), and domain knowledge in a particular field (e.g. software development for fintech, ecommerce or the automotive industry).
Another important part of being a senior, according to some RRUG participants, is the ability to share knowledge through various channels, such as blogging, public speaking, or leading workshops. Here the group is not unanimous - some believe that teaching is a side activity, one that does not influence the major aspects of being a senior developer. It was certainly interesting to listen to both sides’ arguments.
Overall, the meeting went well, sparked discussion and inspired further contemplation. We’re sure the next meeting of RRUG will be worth attending, as well. Stay tuned for announcements about upcoming events on our blog and social media.
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