Best BJ Burns and Will Gant Podcasts (2025)

1
A Farewell To Our Fans 1:01:10

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2y ago1:01:10

1:01:10

Podcasting has definitely been a journey for both of us. When we started BJ wasn't even a developer and Will was working for himself. Now 8 years later BJ is leading a team of developers and Will is back working for himself. It has been an amazing journey with you all this past years. We have both learned a lot about ourselves, programming, leaders…

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Preempting System Issues 40:07

2y ago40:07

40:07

Simple systems fail simply. Complex systems also fail simply, but their interconnectedness with other systems makes mitigating failures much more complex. Past a certain level of complexity, system failures are an emergent property of the system – that is, the set of system parts has a set of failure cases that the individual parts do not have by t…

1
SMART Feedback 44:34

2y ago44:34

44:34

Feedback is any information, observation, or even opinion about the performance or behavior of another individual our group. It can be formal as in performance or peer evaluations or informal such as with mentoring a junior developer. It is a form of communication designed to provide guidance that helps the other person to grow and achieve their go…

1
Database Sharding 51:28

2y ago51:28

51:28

Database sharding is a process of storing a large database across multiple machines. Because a single machine can only hold and process so much data, eventually some systems will scale beyond the ability of a single machine to handle data. Further, as systems scale, they may also need to split data between machines due to security and location cons…

1
Four Square Reports 36:19

2y ago36:19

36:19

Effective communication is a vital aspect of any organization or team's success, and one tool that has been proven to be very useful is the Four Square Report. This report is a simple and effective way to communicate information about a project or task to a team or stakeholders. It was originally developed by the U.S. military to help soldiers comm…

1
Getting the Most From Programming Tutorials 40:10

2y ago40:10

40:10

If you haven't noticed, technology moves fast. There are constant improvements and reworking of every programming language out there. Sometimes the changes are small and easily dealt with, while sometimes the changes are huge. Complicating things further, most developers need to learn a wide variety of tools and frameworks in order to be effective …

1
ACID vs BASE Databases 37:38

2y ago37:38

37:38

Understanding ACID and BASE databases is critical for any organization or individual who is involved in developing, managing, or using modern database systems. Both types of databases have distinct characteristics and trade-offs, and choosing the wrong one can have serious consequences on the performance, reliability, and security of your applicati…

1
API Anti-Patterns 50:58

2y ago50:58

50:58

APIs are a huge part of development today and one of the most common types of API out there is a RESTful API. REST stands for representational state transfer, which is a software architecture that imposes conditions on how an API should work. Essentially, it was created as a set of guidelines for how communications should work between disparate sys…

1
Prioritization 51:49

2y ago51:49

51:49

There is a common demonstration, that we'll do as a thought experiment, when talking about priorities. It has a person fill a bucket with sand, then try to add as many pebbles to the bucket as possible, following that they are to add larger gravel, then fist sized rocks. The obvious thing that happens is the bucket fills with sand and they are not …

1
Mob Programming 49:08

2y ago49:08

49:08

Mob programming is a technique for getting multiple developers in the room, working on the same code. While possibly not the best technique for many situations, it really shines in certain narrow use cases. When it does work, it can often produce impressive results that a few separate developers couldn't produce on their own. The collaborative aspe…

1
File Transfer Protocols 34:07

2y ago34:07

34:07

File transfer protocols can begin to look like alphabet soup when you first start learning about them, or even after you've been a developer for a while. Read more › The post File Transfer Protocols appeared first on Complete Developer Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

1
DDOS Attacks 36:56

2y ago36:56

36:56

You've probably heard of DDOS (or Distributed Denial of Service attacks). They are a common scourge of the modern web and are something you will occasionally see if you work on a popular product. Read more › The post DDOS Attacks appeared first on Complete Developer Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

1
Basics of Git 50:51

2+ y ago50:51

50:51

Git is a version control system that allows developers to collaborate on projects, keep track of changes, and easily revert to previous versions if necessary. It's an essential tool for any software developer, but if you're new to Git, it can seem overwhelming. Read more › The post Basics of Git appeared first on Complete Developer Podcast. Hosted …

1
Explaining Agile To Non Technical CoWorkers 43:23

2+ y ago43:23

43:23

While most developers generally have at least a rough idea of what agile means, or at least what it means to them, many non-technical people are a bit puzzled by the term. It's clear that it means a lot of different things to different people and it's really important to get the explanation right if you want to be successful using it in a business …

1
404 Personality Not Found 52:49

2+ y ago52:49

52:49

It can be easy to say some people, especially developers, don't have personalities. This is far from the truth, even the most robotic of people have some form of personality though it may be difficult to understand. Read more › The post 404 Personality Not Found appeared first on Complete Developer Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy fo…

1
ChatGPT for Developers 55:52

2+ y ago55:52

55:52

OpenAI's transformer-based language model, can improve software development with its natural language processing capabilities and code generation. Read more › The post ChatGPT for Developers appeared first on Complete Developer Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.By BJ Burns and Will Gant

1
Breaking Down Goals 53:02

2+ y ago53:02

53:02

Setting goals for yourself is a big task, even bigger is actually accomplishing those goals. When a goal is large it can seem overwhelming and unachievable. Read more › The post Breaking Down Goals appeared first on Complete Developer Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

1
Cross Platform Pitfalls 45:20

2+ y ago45:20

45:20

Cross-platform applications are really helpful for many businesses, as they increase the size of the available customer base and make it easier to write code that runs on anything. However, like anything else, there are always tradeoffs. Read more › The post Cross Platform Pitfalls appeared first on Complete Developer Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See …

1
7 Habits of Highly Effective Developers 50:26

2+ y ago50:26

50:26

Habits are ways that we simplify our behaviors so that we can do them over and over without much conscious thought. When healthy, habits can help us to grow and improve ourselves. Read more › The post 7 Habits of Highly Effective Developers appeared first on Complete Developer Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

1
Software Architecture Mistakes 45:56

2+ y ago45:56

45:56

While a good software architect can be tremendously helpful to a team that is in a position to need one, software architects are also frequently in a position to do real damage to a team. In fact, software architecture mistakes are some of the most costly. Read more › The post Software Architecture Mistakes appeared first on Complete Developer Podc…

1
Social Engineering 46:19

2+ y ago46:19

46:19

In this episode we look at the different types of social engineering attacks and the best practices for protecting yourself and your organization. Read more › The post Social Engineering appeared first on Complete Developer Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.By BJ Burns and Will Gant

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Unix Philosophy 42:30

2+ y ago42:30

42:30

You might think that unix systems are the digital equivalent of dinosaurs, and that they have little to no relevance today. However, that's not true and the philosophical underpinnings of unix have had a huge impact up until the present day and will probably outlast all of us. Read more › The post Unix Philosophy appeared first on Complete Develope…

1
Improving Your Morning Routine 53:52

2+ y ago53:52

53:52

How you start your morning sets the tone for the whole day. A good morning routine will improve your health and productivity. Read more › The post Improving Your Morning Routine appeared first on Complete Developer Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.By BJ Burns and Will Gant

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Apology 0:59

2+ y ago0:59

0:59

We had an issue with out CDN, we apologize for the issues with access to the episode HTTPS and SSL. We fixed it on the website but the podcatchers did not update because the RSS didn't push a new episode. This apology should fix that so that you are able to listen to that episode now. Read more › The post Apology appeared first on Complete Develope…

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HTTPS and SSL 44:38

2+ y ago44:38

44:38

As security concerns have become more and more important on the web, there has been a growing movement to make sure that communication between the client and the server is ALWAYS encrypted. There are many reasons for this. For one, … HTTPS and SSL Read More » The post HTTPS and SSL appeared first on Complete Developer Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See …

1
Everyone Listening Is Rehired 51:22

2+ y ago51:22

51:22

We're going to finish going through Mike Acton's list of things he expects from developers. We'll share our thoughts and reactions to his assessment. You don't have to listen to the first episode to understand this one, though you might want to check it out. Read more › The post Everyone Listening Is Rehired appeared first on Complete Developer Pod…

1
12 Week Year Overview 55:59

2+ y ago55:59

55:59

Parkinson's Law is an adage that work will expand to fill the time allotted for its completion. We typically understand this law to mean that allotting too much time to a task will cause the task to expand and waste time. However, it is much more useful viewed in the reverse, that allotting less time will make you more efficient. Read more › The po…

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Everyone Listening Is Fired 55:46

2+ y ago55:46

55:46

We react to Mike Acton's 2019 talk "Everyone Watching This Is Fired" by going through his "50 things he expects of developers" and discussing them, or as many as we can in an hour. If you haven't watched his video check out the link in the show notes. Read more › The post Everyone Listening Is Fired appeared first on Complete Developer Podcast. Hos…

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Time Management Baseline 52:22

2+ y ago52:22

52:22

This year's theme is time management. However, if everything is chaotic, it's kind of difficult to build a robust time management system that you can trust. Read more › The post Time Management Baseline appeared first on Complete Developer Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

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Predictions 2023 45:20

2+ y ago45:20

45:20

It's been an interesting year for many of us, with lots of changes. There have been both upsides and downsides to this year, and most of us have had to grow a lot. This is the first episode of 2023. Read more › The post Predictions 2023 appeared first on Complete Developer Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

1
Resolutions 2023 56:00

2+ y ago56:00

56:00

2022 was an interesting year. It brought a lot of unexpected yet not entirely unwelcome changes for both of us and for the podcast. As we review our resolutions we'll see how SMART our goals really were and then we'll discuss the yearly theme. Read more › The post Resolutions 2023 appeared first on Complete Developer Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See a…

1
Time Management Mistakes 52:42

2+ y ago52:42

52:42

Have you ever wanted to write a book, start a business, learn a new skill, learn to play a musical instrument, change careers, or simply become world class at something you like to do? Did you try for a bit, only to realize that you didn't have time to do it, that you couldn't achieve your goal? Read more › The post Time Management Mistakes appeare…

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Being A Good Follower 49:47

2+ y ago49:47

49:47

We hear a lot about how to be a good leader, but rarely about how to be a good follower. If we are all leading then who is following? Following isn't about blindly agreeing with leadership but instead is the ability to work within any role to improve yourself, your team, and your organization. Read more › The post Being A Good Follower appeared fir…

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Creating A Nightly Routine 59:13

2+ y ago59:13

59:13

Many people will tell you the importance of a morning routine, however without a nightly routine our evenings are all over the place and we are left with sleepless nights, but not in Seattle. To improve sleep and rest we have to look at habit formation and building routines and rituals into our evenings. Read more › The post Creating A Nightly Rout…

1
Integration Code Smells 49:25

2+ y ago49:25

49:25

Integration points in complex systems have a tendency to surprise you, usually in an unpleasant fashion. While it takes a while to discover the underlying antipatterns that caused the system to have problems, there are certain "smells" you can look for that indicate common sources of issues. Read more › The post Integration Code Smells appeared fir…

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Add Value On Your First Day 55:33

2+ y ago55:33

55:33

So you got a new job and you are starting in a couple of days. You are probably both excited and anxious. What will the first day be like? If you are like many people, your first day at a new job will be something that happens to you, rather than something you control. Not ideal. Read more › The post Add Value On Your First Day appeared first on Co…

1
Millionaire Mindset 1:02:44

2+ y ago1:02:44

1:02:44

The millionaire mindset is a common phrase in the hustle culture of people who are working hard to better themselves and make their world a better place. But what exactly does it mean? Read more › The post Millionaire Mindset appeared first on Complete Developer Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

1
Today Is The Day To Stop Procrastinating 50:21

2+ y ago50:21

50:21

Procrastination is an insidious venom that slowly eats away at us by making us think we have plenty of time to do the things we need to do but may not want to do. Today is the day to stop procrastinating! Read more › The post Today Is The Day To Stop Procrastinating appeared first on Complete Developer Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac…

1
10 Rules To Be A Good Engineer 48:44

2+ y ago48:44

48:44

You write code and solve problems, but are you a good engineer? Are there things you can do to improve yourself and be a better developer? What does it take to be a good software developer? Read more › The post 10 Rules To Be A Good Engineer appeared first on Complete Developer Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

1
Downsides of Self Employement 43:31

2+ y ago43:31

43:31

Lots of developers are self-employed. While many are happy, there are some pitfalls to the process that can trip up the unwary. From taxes, to interpersonal relationships, being self-employed will teach you a lot of things, but you really don't want to learn the hard way. Read more › The post Downsides of Self Employement appeared first on Complete…

1
Layoff Resilience 53:03

3y ago53:03

53:03

There is definitely a cycle to the financial system. Things get easier for a while, and then things get harder. While we don't want to delve into the reasons too deeply, there's a pretty good chance that some rough times are coming. Read more › The post Layoff Resilience appeared first on Complete Developer Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/p…

1
Managing Large Refactorings 41:24

3y ago41:24

41:24

As a project becomes more successful, it almost always gets larger. Over time, teams usually get larger as well. Eventually, this means that the previous structure of the application becomes insufficient and needs to be refactored. Read more › The post Managing Large Refactorings appeared first on Complete Developer Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See ac…

1
Difficult Conversations 42:19

3y ago42:19

42:19

Difficult conversations are not easy or fun, hence the term difficult. Maintaining interpersonal relationships in the workplace involves problem solving and a fair amount of compromise when dealing with difficult situations. Read more › The post Difficult Conversations appeared first on Complete Developer Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri…

1
Database Indexing Mistakes 40:02

3y ago40:02

40:02

If you aren't constantly dealing with the database, you probably have some misconceptions about how indexes work. These misconceptions not only tend to bite you, but they tend to do so at the worst possible time, when your system is under load or when you've just rolled out a new feature. Read more › The post Database Indexing Mistakes appeared fir…

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Basic Psychological Needs of Motivation 47:41

3y ago47:41

47:41

What motivates you when the rewards seem far off? What drives you to keep pushing when you are tired and worn out? It's not likely the pay or some big reward at the end. It is your own intrinsic motivation. Read more › The post Basic Psychological Needs of Motivation appeared first on Complete Developer Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priva…

1
Tradeoffs of Single Page Applications 46:58

3y ago46:58

46:58

In many development shops, Single Page Applications (or SPAs) are the user interface of choice, especially if they are already in use in other systems. While this is often a laudable and reasonable choice, it's a good idea to understand the tradeoffs of going with this approach. Read more › The post Tradeoffs of Single Page Applications appeared fi…

1
Success Stabilizers 44:59

3y ago44:59

44:59

You've made it, you've accomplished your goals. Now what? How do you continue to be successful? Success and failure are intertwined and success if not stable can lead to failure. Read more › The post Success Stabilizers appeared first on Complete Developer Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

1
Better Dashboards 42:08

3y ago42:08

42:08

If you are lucky, someone will tell you what they actually want on a dashboard when they tell you to make one. If you're unlucky, you probably are going to have to figure it out as you go. Thankfully, there are some principles you can apply that will help you create application dashboards that are useful. Read more › The post Better Dashboards appe…

1
PCI Compliance 45:58

3y ago45:58

45:58

Breaches of payment systems are extremely serious. It's a great way not only to have major business problems, but to look like an idiot in front of all your clients, while causing them all kinds of headaches, including potentially emptying their bank accounts. Read more › The post PCI Compliance appeared first on Complete Developer Podcast. Hosted …

1
OWASP Top Ten 2021 37:39

3y ago37:39

37:39

A major security vulnerability will be found in someone's web application this week. The OWASP Top Ten list of web application vulnerabilities has recently been updated. Read more › The post OWASP Top Ten 2021 appeared first on Complete Developer Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

BJ Burns And Will Gant Podcasts