Link Dump #186

The dilemma of the week comes back - what should you read first?

1. Software Architecture
   1. Lessons on How to Get Timeouts, Retries and Idempotency Right
      Build systems that bounce back! The author highlights how timeouts, retries, and idempotency are your essential toolkit for creating resilient distributed architectures. Learn how these techniques prevent cascading failures and keep your services running smoothly, even when things go wrong.
   2. Understanding Database Consistency: A Key Concept in Distributed Systems #PickOfTheWeek
      This article explores database consistency models in distributed systems and explains trade-offs between strong, eventual, causal, and other consistency types.
2. Software Development
   1. Why DevOps Matters
      Want faster releases and happier customers? This article explains why DevOps is essential for modern businesses. Discover how it breaks down silos, automates processes, and enables continuous delivery for a competitive edge.
   2. Four Builds: A Balance Between Quality and Joy
      How long should it take to know if your code is safe? Ten minutes is not enough for a proper build, even for a small software system. Ten minutes is too much for a build that we run from the IDE after every one-line edit. We need a finer-grained classification of builds: from bullet-fast to thorough and dead slow.
   3. DevOps-as-a-Service: Simplifying Development and Operations Integration
      Struggling with DevOps complexity? This article explains how "DevOps as a Service" can streamline your development and operations integration. Learn how outsourcing key DevOps functions can free up your team to focus on core business goals.
   4. Four retrieval techniques to improve RAG you need to know #PickOfTheWeek
      The article explores methods to optimize information retrieval within RAG architectures. It provides insights into techniques that enhance the quality of data provided to Large Language Models, leading to more contextually accurate and relevant AI-generated responses.
3. Testing
   1. Cost-Aware Resilience: Implementing Chaos Engineering Without Breaking the Budget
      See how to apply cost-aware chaos engineering techniques using open-source tools, automation, and prioritization to improve system resilience without breaking the bank.
4. Libraries and frameworks
   1. Sub-10ms Startup: Quarkus vs. Spring Native – The Race to Instant Java
      Enter Quarkus and Spring Native—two frameworks pushing Java into the sub-10ms startup territory using GraalVM native compilation. But which one delivers on the promise of instant-on Java? Read the article and find it out.
5. Leadership
   1. Decoding human behavior: Laws every business leader should know #PickOfTheWeek
      Decode your team's behavior for better leadership. Thoughtworks shares the fundamental 'laws' of human psychology every business leader needs. Learn how to apply these principles to improve team dynamics, communication, and overall performance.
6. Project Management
   1. Why backlog grooming isn’t good product strategy
      This article challenges the traditional view of backlog management, suggesting it often misses the bigger picture. Discover why a strategic approach, focused on product vision and user value, is essential for long-term success.
7. Agile
   1. Minimize Spillover in Agile: Break the Habit of Unfinished Work #PickOfTheWeek
      This article offers three actionable tips to break the spillover habit, from making work visible to curbing over-enthusiasm during planning. Discover how to create a more effective and satisfying sprint cycle.
   2. Integrating Agile in the Age of AI: Common Pitfalls and Solutions
      Agile is about adaptability, learning, and delivering better software. With the onset of AI and its integration into daily life, we need to be more Agile than ever to manage the balance between speed, quality, and strategy.
8. Growth
   1. Get Clearer, More Actionable Feedback #PickOfTheWeek
      As you advance, you’re expected to make decisions with less direction and make sense of the ambiguity around you. This article offers strategies and scripts you can use to get more specific, tactical direction from your manager. The better you get at translating feedback from abstract to actionable, the more effectively you can deliver results.

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