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CVu Journal Vol 31, #2 - May 2019 + Journal Editorial
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Title: Full Nine Yards

Author: Bob Schmidt

Date: 07 May 2019 23:39:50 +01:00 or Tue, 07 May 2019 23:39:50 +01:00

Summary: 

Body: 

Over the last few years, the term ‘full-stack developer’ has become a popular requirement in job adverts for programmers. It’s commonly used to mean someone who can write code at each level of a multi-tiered application, from the UI, down through controller and logic layers, all the way to the database. The implication is that modern developers need to be masters of multiple technologies. UI very often means web-based, and there are myriad frameworks (to put it mildly!) in this space. Then there’s the interop layer to the server-side, which itself might comprise multiple technologies, and finally a host of different database offerings.

Another term that’s come to prominence of late is ‘dev-ops’, commonly used to mean someone who can write code, and understands the various technologies used for cloud-computing – of which, once again, there are many. This implies at least some level of security knowledge is needed, not just about user security, but for deployments, monitoring, support and so on.

A universal requirement for developers who can do everything risks over-generalization, and watering down the level of expertise needed for true mastery of a small number of specialized technologies. Writing a good UI that delivers the best user experience is a highly-skilled task. I’ve been privileged to meet some excellent UI designers, and some excellent computer programmers, but it’s rare to find someone who excels in both. In the same vein, cyber-security is a very specialized skill, in particular for public-facing applications.

Chris Oldwood gave a talk at the ACCU 2019 conference, where he looked at multi-skilled developers from a slightly different perspective: the Full Pipeline Developer, who understands the full application life cycle from architecture, writing code, testing at all levels, build systems, deployment, monitoring and support. This definitely rang true for me in a way that neither ‘full-stack’ nor ‘dev-ops’ does: it captures the need to understand the stages required in software development in principle, rather than in terms of specific technologies or brands.

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