Library of the moment

Packmatic
github | hex

A creation from Evadne Wu this library will let you do instant archival export.

What does that mean? Ever exported several files from Google Drive? It churns, churns, churns and then after a while you get a zip archive. This will immediately start your zip download and stream the files that are to be archived as fast as possible for the recipient but no faster. This saves you from keeping all the files for the archive on a server plus building the archive in place on the server before shipping it. Your user gets a super fast experience and your server is happy. It integrates with Plug so it works gloriously under Phoenix. It can also be used for other cases where you need to generate a zip file in a streaming fashion.

This feels like a very only-in-Elixir library. I'm sure there are similar things elsewhere but the smooth way in which you can do this. Chef kiss.

There is also an interesting library called Unzip that helps with the flip side of pulling data from zip archives (either local or even from inside an archive on S3 or other remote environments). Made by the prolific akash-akya.

Latest publishing

About Developing Speed

Me and Andreas talk about speed, velocity and getting code written and systems operational.

Podcast episode: Regular Programming, episode 42

New Elixir Jobs process

For Developers

If you are looking for Elixir work, actively, passively or only for the perfect one. You can fill this out to be in the pool which I consider as I talk to companies.

For Companies & Organisations

If you are looking for Elixir developers, actively, passively or waiting for the perfect one. You can fill this other one out to be in the pool of companies I talk to about candidates.

Why?

I have so far been at the scale where I can mostly remember all the candidates and companies I connect with. I am starting to forget people. It is time to systematize.

Putting yourself in the driver seat

Ownership is a tricky thing. A lot of companies want their employees to take ownership of the thing they are working on. And by that they do not mean seizing the means of production and abolishing private property to own everything as a shared resource. That might also work but no. They mean, to take responsibility and deeply engage with the success of whatever you are doing.

You should never take on as much ownership of a thing as an actual owner. This can be difficult. You might be passionate about the product or you might really care about putting in premium effort and being grat at what you do. And I think it is wise to take ownership of that. Own the things you do, own the parts you can control. Wherever you don't have a mandate to make decisions and control over the process is where your ability to take ownership ends.

This is part of why I run my own business. I really don't operate well when I don't feel like I can engage with all parts of the process. I don't want to keep running into bounds on my sphere of influence. I do, of course, but I have more ownership in total. In contracting/consulting I can't tell the client exactly what to do. But I own my whole relationship with that client, end to end. If I think they need a push there is no-one to tell me to not rock the boat. I can't spend a client's time willy nilly but I can put my own company time into whatever I want.

I find it easy to take ownership when I am always on the hook. And as I've always taken a bunch of ownership and invested myself deeply, even in things I didn't control or truly own, just by virtue of caring about my work, it is just better for me to do it this way. Your mileage may vary. I need urgency, criticality and novelty to operate effectively. Other brains get things done in a much more practical way.

What are your feelings about "taking ownership"? Reply to this email or poke me on the fedi @lawik@fosstodon.org.

Thank your for reading. As always, I appreciate your attention.