Season 7, Episode 2 - Open Space & Unconferences with Houssam Fakih

Let's face it – the concepts we use everyday are complex. While CQRS, DDD, and other architectural patterns may be 20+ years old now, anyone who's learned them can tell you that it takes a while to get the hang of it. Today, Sara speaks with Jaroslav Schnaubert of ASSIST on strategies to ease the learning curve – from breaking down the process and restructuring your mindset when learning new concepts in software development. Connect with Sara on LinkedIn and Twitter.  Connect with Jaroslav on LinkedIn.  Learn more about Axon at axoniq.io

In this episode, Sara is joined by Emilien Pecoul – software developer, architect, and entrepreneur.  They discuss the benefits of using patterns such as domain-driven design (DDD), event sourcing, and Command Query Responsibility Segregation (CQRS) in startup companies and for freelancers looking for their next project. Emilien shares insights into his background as a freelancer and entrepreneur, emphasizing the importance of learning and adopting effective software development practices. He discusses how he started as a freelancer in 2013, facing challenges in finding companies aligned with his preferred working practices. He highlights the role of meetups and conferences in connecting with like-minded developers – and about his work with his start-up, "The Actual Job," to help mentor full-time developers in their journey to become freelancers. The discussion expands to cover the significance of DDD, with Emilien sharing his journey in understanding and implementing DDD principles. He acknowledges the initial difficulty in grasping DDD concepts but emphasizes the value it brings to building robust software. The interview explores the complexities of domain-driven design, especially in translating abstract concepts to practical implementations. They go on to talk about how these concepts translated into the realities of Emilien's daily life at his freshly created start-up. The interview concludes with insights into the importance of understanding why and how to implement certain patterns, adapting strategies based on project requirements, and making informed decisions to avoid unnecessary complexity. Connect with Sara on LinkedIn and Twitter.  Connect with Emilien on LinkedIn.  Learn more about Axon at axoniq.io

Ready to tackle the journey from monolith to microservices? Get some pointers from the pros first! In this episode, Sara is joined by Frédéric Bouvet, a software engineer with 12 years of experience. Frédéric has worked extensively with CQRS (Command Query Responsibility Segregation), DDD (Domain-Driven Design), and event sourcing patterns, particularly in the context of the Axon Framework and Axon Server. The two discuss Frédéric's journey in adopting these patterns, especially in the context of migrating a monolith to a secure microservices architecture at SlimPay, a payment company based in Paris. Frédéric shares insights into his experience with CQRS, emphasizing its benefits for optimizing both reading and writing performance. He explains the challenges of introducing these patterns to a team that was accustomed to CRUD operations, highlighting the importance of knowledge sharing, pair programming, and code reviews in overcoming the learning curve. The conversation delves into the process of migrating from a monolith to microservices, with Frédéric outlining steps such as isolating the domain, breaking external references, and implementing a switch mechanism for data synchronization.  Frédéric also touches upon the challenges of evaluating costs but emphasizes the gains in maintainability and development efficiency.  Overall, the episode provides valuable insights into the practical implementation of CQRS, DDD, and event sourcing in the context of microservices, offering a real-world perspective on the challenges and benefits of such architectural choices. Be sure to tune in!   Connect with Sara on LinkedIn and Twitter.  Connect with Frederic on LinkedIn.  Learn more about Axon at axoniq.io

Curious about the dynamics of Open Space & Unconferences? In this episode of Exploring Axon, Sara Torrey sits down with the multi-hyphenate Houssam Fakih – an "unconference disorganizer," facilitator, mentor, coach, co-author, speaker, and developer.  The two touch on how these vibrant, participant-driven gatherings thrive on sharing knowledge, stimulating discussions, and fostering relationships. The two discuss the interesting dynamics within open spaces, the process, and the enriching experiences they can offer.  Learn how these spaces can help you contribute your burning questions and engage in meaningful discussions. No speakers, no presentations, just pure knowledge sharing. Dive in!   Connect with Sara on LinkedIn and Twitter.  Connect with Houssam on Twitter and LinkedIn. Learn more about AxonIQ at axoniq.io

Welcome to season 7 of Exploring Axon! Our host Sara Torrey returns, this time with the pleasure of hearing from Sylvain Couddert, a podcast producer/host and freelance software developer from France. In this episode, Sara and Sylvain delve into his four-year podcasting experience and the significance of knowledge sharing in the software community. The two also explore development patterns, focusing on the ever-relevant domain-driven design. Listeners are in for a treat as they gain invaluable insights into the benefits and practicality of this approach. But the conversation doesn't stop there. Sara and Sylvain also tackle a topic that resonates with many of us in the technology industry: the experience of being a rookie. They navigate the challenges and triumphs of the learning process and the art of teaching. They also uncover the remarkable benefits that derive from these experiences, extending far beyond the world of technology. Be sure to tune in to unravel the intricacies of knowledge sharing and software development in this captivating season 7 opener of Exploring Axon. Connect with Sara on LinkedIn and Twitter.  Connect with Sylvain on LinkedIn. Check out Sylvain's podcast, PunkInDev. (it's in French, by the way) Learn more about Axon at axoniq.io

Exploring Axon is back from hiatus to bring an update on an exciting event taking place in Amsterdam this September – AxonIQ Conference 2023 and DrivUn, an unconference for the latest trends in event-driven, domain-driven, and message-driven systems.  In this episode, Sara sits down with AxonIQ CTO Allard Buijze as well as AxonIQ Developer Advocate Milen Dyankov, who's taking the lead on the inaugural DrivUn event. The trio discuss what you can expect from both events – and why you need to be there! Early bird tickets remain available as of the time of this publishing, so snag a deal while you can! To learn more about AxonIQ Conference 2023, click here. To learn more about DrivUn, click here. Connect with Sara on LinkedIn and Twitter.  Connect with Allard on LinkedIn and Twitter.  Connect with Milen on LinkedIn and Twitter.  Learn more about Axon at axoniq.io

Sara spoke with Cédric Teyton, the CEO of Promyze, about the importance of code quality in software projects. They also discussed how valuable it is to share knowledge amongst team members, and a way to do both is by using the platform he and his team have built, Promyze. Promyze is a collaborative platform that helps teams define and share their best software development practices. Promyze also makes it easy to onboard new team members or even new stacks and patterns into projects. You can find out more about Promyze here. Connect with Cédric on LinkedIn. Connect with Sara on LinkedIn.    Learn more about Axon at axoniq.io

Sara spoke with Spring developer advocate Josh long. Josh talked about his days pre-Spring and why he decided to join the team at Spring.io. He also talked about the reasons why he has stayed with the team and what excites him about the community. Sara asked Josh how he learned about Axon, what that relationship has been, and why he and Allard Buijze wrote the Spring Autoconfiguration for Axon Framework. They then discussed Domain-Driven Architecture, CQRS, Event-Driven Architecture, and how these patterns can help developers.  Josh Long will be our keynote speaker at our September 28th, 2023, conference in Amsterdam. We hope to see you all there.    Connect with Josh on Twitter and LinkedIn.  Connect with Sara on LinkedIn.    Learn more about Axon at axoniq.io

In this second portion of Sara's talk with Shopey they talked more about how Axon products have helped Shopey and his team in their efforts to move to faster and more reliable systems as well as how they have managed communication within distributed large teams.    Connect with Shopey on LinkedIn.  Connect with Sara on LinkedIn.   Learn more about AxonIQ. 

This is the first part of Sara's conversation with Shopey Mossavar-Rahmani about working as a software engineer and architect at a large Swedish furniture company’s legacy system built in 1985. They discussed the challenges of still working with this system, why it hasn’t been fully replaced, and how the efforts of moving some of the logic to other systems with better designs have been for him and his team. They also talked about ways to get other team members and, at times, the management onboarded to use cutting-edge patterns, tools, and technologies and the learnings that came along the way.   Connect with Shopey on LinkedIn.  Connect with Sara on LinkedIn.   Learn more about AxonIQ.