alainrk:$▒

I'm Alain Di Chiappari, software engineer, computer scientist specialized in systems and networks, OS contributor and passionate about whatever runs on a CPU. In the last few years, I've been working extensively on backend development, developer experience, infrastructure and platform, event-driven and microservices architectures, observability, and reliability.
You can find me on linkedin, github and substack.
[WASD] to move, P/R pause/restart.

Latest posts

Tactical vs Strategic Developers A Philosophy of Software Design In the world of software creation, developers have different ways of thinking and working. In his enlightening book "A Philosophy of Software Design," John Ousterhout talks about the ideas and methods that make software design work well (or at least better). One important thing he discusses is the difference between tactical and strategic developers. This helps us understand the various approaches these developers use when creating software, and why the modern approaches that companies adopt bring to a dangerous path.... Read more
Death by configuration parameters Where to place complexity? Deeper modules provide a significantly better interface, concealing complexity and enhancing clarity and readability. However, this improvement does not come without a cost. It demands better design and more thoughtful choices. A crucial factor in this process is complexity management, and we understand that it is not always feasible to eliminate it entirely. Sometimes, it is inherent in the domain we operate in, or it arises from real-world scenarios. Additionally, in many 'fast-paced' work environments, those who contribute (directly or indirectly) to the design of a system are often rewarded for short-term choices rather than for long-term sustainability... Read more
Sabotage 101: Company Culture Meltdown Playbook for destroying company and engineering culture It doesn’t matter if you are an executive pushed by shareholders’ anxiety, a director facing tough decisions, or a manager tasked with reshaping their team. You have to do your part and turn everything upside down, even if it means destroying the current culture in favor of a greater benefit, such as company profitability, your superiors’ profitability, or, if you’re lucky enough, your own profitability. In these cases, you can't just wing it. There are a few concepts to reconsider in a new light and a dedicated playbook to follow step-by-step... Read more

Some places I've worked at

Hobby Projects I've been working on recently

Other stuff I've published

linkedin | github | substack