Tag: Video

This month’s meetup was a truly special one as we celebrated 10 years of our community! Back in October 2014, our very first gathering was a casual social at the Bean enCounter, where we gauged interest in creating a local hub for web and tech enthusiasts. Fast forward to today, and what a journey it’s been!

We’ve faced our share of challenges over the years—COVID disruptions, sudden venue closures—but we’ve also enjoyed countless highs! Together, we’ve built a welcoming, friendly community that’s become a home for those working in web, tech, and related fields in Stafford. A massive thank you to everyone who has contributed to this milestone: our speakers, volunteers, sponsors, and of course, our attendees and members who make it all worthwhile.

A huge thanks goes out to Codeweavers for graciously hosting our event once again. Their continued support is genuinely appreciated!

Talk

Estimation – A Necessary Evil

Jude Smalley — Delivery Manager, OVO

In this talk we will cover my 5 key learnings about estimation from 10 years working in software delivery:

• There is no one-size fits all approach
• Context matters
• Estimation is a team sport
• Estimation is a team commitment
• Estimation is a necessary evil

We’ll touch on different methods, understanding your situation, who should be involved, why people pleasing is the ultimate anti pattern and why it is actually important to provide some kind of estimation.

I would like people to walk away from my talk with a new or improved mindset about how they approach estimating in a software delivery context, and I’ll be around for questions or discussions afterwards.

Thanks to all those who joined us at the July meetup. A huge thanks goes out to Codeweavers for graciously hosting our event once again. Their continued support is genuinely appreciated!

Our speaker, Callum, delivered an insightful talk titled “Frontend mocking, building for speed.” He introduced the concept of frontend mocking and demonstrated how it can help developers build faster and more reliable applications.

During our open discussion session, led by Natasha, we delved into various topics, including CrowdStrike and the current state of AI in development.

Talk

Frontend mocking, building for speed

Callum Booth — Senior Frontend Enginner, Dexory

Callum presented his talk on frontend mocking, a technique that can help developers build faster and more reliable applications. He introduced Mock Service Worker (MSW), a tool that enables developers to mock API responses and test their applications in a controlled environment.

During the presentation, Callum demonstrated techniques for dynamically controlling mock data at runtime. This approach allows developers to simulate various scenarios and test how their application behaves under different conditions.

He emphasized the importance of adding randomness to mocked data to uncover edge cases and potential bugs. By introducing randomness, developers can identify issues that might not be apparent with fixed, predetermined data sets.

The frontend mocking approach combines the benefits of automated testing with the flexibility of manual testing. It enables developers to quickly iterate on their code and catch issues early in the development process.

By leveraging tools like MSW and incorporating dynamic mocking techniques, developers can build more robust and reliable applications while saving time and effort in the testing phase.

Thanks to all those who joined us at the May meetup. We were delighted to host two students from Staffordshire University, Noor-Us Sabah and Ed Barton, who presented their Final Year Projects.

Noor-Us Sabah showcased her project, “SmartRecycle – Home Recycling App,” which aims to simplify home recycling by using AI image recognition to identify objects and offer recycling guidance based on material, as well as upcycling ideas.

Ed Barton, on the other hand, demonstrated his work on “Implementing Software-Controlled Mood Lighting for Smart Bulbs Through Colour Detection in Visual Media,” exploring the intersection of smart home technology and visual media.

These presentations not only gave our group an insight into the innovative projects undertaken by the students but also provided them with a valuable opportunity to hone their presentation skills before the upcoming GradEx event hosted by Staffordshire University in June.

We extend our gratitude to Codeweavers for graciously hosting our event once again. Their continued support is genuinely appreciated, and we look forward to many more engaging meetups in the future.

Thanks, Ian Knight, for photographing the event for us.

Thanks to all those who joined us at the April meetup. A massive thanks is also in order for Codeweavers for graciously hosting our event once again. Their continued support is genuinely appreciated!

Our speaker, Matthew delivered his talk discussing the complexities of managing a large codebase, likening it to tending a garden. He showcased ts-morph for mass refactoring and explored how AI could play a role in crafting code transformations.

We wrapped up with our open discussion session led by Natasha. The topics of conversation followed on from Matthew’s talk, covering AI and its role in higher education—as well as whether we should thank machines for their help during interactions (and if so, will our polite gestures be remembered during the machine uprising?).

Talk

Accelerating Code Evolution – Transforming Your Codebase with TsMorph and ChatGPT

Matthew Kemp — Senior Frontend Developer, Codeweavers

Matthew’s talk highlighted the challenges involved in managing a large and intricate codebase. With the backdrop of a new version of Angular, Matthew likened the codebase to a garden in need of consistent upkeep. Updating code to accommodate new syntax and methodologies is time-consuming, and the business case for doing so can be difficult to justify. While acknowledging the challenges of codebase evolution, Matthew emphasised its necessity and benefits.

Matthew demonstrated a method for mass refactoring code using ts-morph. This library offers an API that allows you to access, traverse and modify code by working with Abstract Syntax Trees (AST). This automation of code transformation can lead to substantial reductions in time and effort.

Matthew then explained how ChatGPT can be used to write the refactoring formula, offering insight into how best to generate code with ChatGPT. He also discussed common pitfalls and tips for using this tool effectively.

Matthew’s vision for the future of codebase maintenance is one in which efficiency and innovation go hand-in-hand. He showed how leveraging artificial intelligence alongside automated tooling offers developers a faster route to solutions while minimising menial tasks.