Ted Neward
CODE Author
Ted Neward is the CTO of iTrellis, a software development consultancy located in Seattle. He is an internationally recognized speaker, instructor, consultant, and mentor and spends a great deal of time these days focusing on languages and execution engines like the JVM and CLR.
Detailed Biography
Ted Neward is the CTO of iTrellis, a software development consultancy located in Seattle. He is an internationally recognized speaker, instructor, consultant, and mentor and spends a great deal of time these days focusing on languages and execution engines like the JVM and CLR.
Articles Authored
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On Endings
Last updated: Monday, December 7, 2020
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2020 - March/April
Ted Neward discusses his closing thoughts in his final back-of-the-issue editorial for CODE Magazine.
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On Contributions
Last updated: Monday, December 7, 2020
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2020 - January/February
Good software teams figure out how to let people make their best contribution.
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Managed Coder: On Time
Last updated: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2019 - September/October
Ted talks about why it is we're always running out of time--or THINK we are.
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On Learning Effectiveness
Last updated: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2019 - July/August
Ted considers leadership that makes a difference.
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On Effective Executives
Last updated: Friday, April 2, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2019 - May/June
Ted looks at what makes the difference between a good leader and a great one.
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On Leadership
Last updated: Tuesday, April 6, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2019 - March/April
Ted discusses the nature of leading and how it affects the team.
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On Developing Talent
Last updated: Thursday, December 16, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2019 - January/February
Ted talks about encouraging--and enabling--your team to grow their skills.
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Java
Last updated: Friday, April 16, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2018 - November/December
Ted takes you on a little spelunk into Java, replete with some history for context.
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On Trust
Last updated: Friday, April 16, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2018 - November/December
Ted writes about the importance of trust to a team's success.
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On Transitioning
Last updated: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2018 - September/October
Ted gives some good advice for what to do when you become a manager for the first time.
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On Bets
Last updated: Friday, April 23, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2018 - July/August
Ted discusses the general impossibility of having all the information at the onset of a project--or a decision.
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Docker
Last updated: Monday, April 26, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2018 - May/June
Ted explores this great open-source tool that performs OS-level virtualization and helps your system recognize changes in code.
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On Authenticity
Last updated: Tuesday, April 27, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2018 - May/June
Ted asks the age-old question: When are you finished growing?
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On Managers
Last updated: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2018 - March/April
Ted talks about being a manager, having a manager, and the difference between a good and a bad manager.
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Managed Coder: On Fear
Last updated: Friday, May 7, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2018 - January/February
Ted talks to us about things that scare us and how to get through it.
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Managed Coder: On Professionalism
Last updated: Tuesday, May 11, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2017 - November/December
Ted talks about professional behavior and what politics has to do with the workplace.
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On Objectivity
Last updated: Thursday, May 13, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2017 - September/October
Ted points out that no matter who you are and what you do, you can't ever truly know someone else's perspective.
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On Decisions
Last updated: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2017 - July/August
Ted looks at how DADA and OODA thought processes can help you make smarter --if not faster--decisions.
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On Interviewing
Last updated: Friday, May 21, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2017 - May/June
Ted looks at how interviewing practices need to change with the times, just as software does.
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Managed Coder: On Coding Management
Last updated: Saturday, December 18, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2017 - March/April
Ted takes a look at what skills are necessary to be a great manager.
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On Mentoring
Last updated: Friday, May 28, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2017 - January/February
Ted takes a look at an age-old technique for helping new devs acclimatize to new jobs.
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On Strong Teams
Last updated: Friday, June 4, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2016 - November/December
Ted takes a look at what it takes to make a team successful--is there a magic formula?
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Managed Coder: On Experience
Last updated: Thursday, June 10, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2016 - September/October
Ted talks about how hiring experience might seem expensive, but it could save you money in the end.
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Rust
Last updated: Thursday, June 10, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2016 - September/October
If you need to use a language that compiles to native code and runs without any runtime support, you might consider Rust. Ted takes us on a tour of this new language.
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Go
Last updated: Friday, June 11, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2016 - July/August
There’s a new language called Go, and you’ll want to check out Ted’s exploration of it. Go ahead. You know you want to.
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On Culture Fit
Last updated: Monday, June 21, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2016 - July/August
Ted looks at whether or not personality, race, gender, or style have any bearing on whether someone will be successful at work or not.
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Managed Coder: On Responsibility
Last updated: Wednesday, June 23, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2016 - May/June
Ted takes a serious look at who's responsible when things go wrong.
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On Self-Regulation
Last updated: Thursday, June 24, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2016 - March/April
For an industry that prides itself on its analytical ability and abstract mental processing, we often don’t do a great job applying that mental skill to the most important element of the programmer’s tool chest—that is, ourselves.
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Managed Coder: On Motivating
Last updated: Monday, June 28, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2016 - January/February
Ted looks at meetings to help us determine whether we're motivated to do the work.
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Managed Coder: On Motivation
Last updated: Wednesday, June 30, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2015 - November/December
Ted talks about the difference between being motivated and needing motivation in the first of a series on the subject.
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Managed Coder: On Liberal Arts
Last updated: Wednesday, July 7, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2015 - September/October
Ted shows us how it doesn't take a CS degree to know how to make great apps.
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Managed Coder: On Systems Thinking
Last updated: Tuesday, July 13, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2015 - July/August
Ted talks about getting trapped in old habits.
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Managed Coder: On Process
Last updated: Tuesday, July 27, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2015 - May/June
Ted takes a look at how to tell if a process is broken.
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Managed Coder: On Core Competence
Last updated: Thursday, July 29, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2015 - March/April
Ted talks about the importance of identifying core competencies.
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Managed Coder: On Brand
Last updated: Monday, August 2, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2015 - January/February
Ted explains why branding is important, no matter how big or small your company is.
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Managed Coder: On Benchmarking
Last updated: Wednesday, September 1, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2014 - November/December
Ted explores the myth of benchmarking and how to make sure that yours are valid.
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Managed Coder: On Being an Idiot
Last updated: Friday, September 3, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2014 - September/October
Ted tells us how everyone is an "idiot" every now and then, and how to make the most of the situation.
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On Mental Strength
Last updated: Friday, September 10, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2014 - July/August
13 Things Mentally Strong Programmers Avoid
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On Survivors
Last updated: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2014 - May/June
In this column Ted discusses real perils of being a part of a startup.
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Managed Coder: On Negativity
Last updated: Tuesday, December 28, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2014 - March/April
Ted Neward explains how taking the negative approach just might lead to leaner, cleaner code.
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Managed Coder: On Passion
Last updated: Monday, January 3, 2022
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2014 - January/February
Ted Neward's b-monthly column on development. This issue Ted discusses the concept of developer passion.
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Managed Coder: On Efficiency and Effectiveness
Last updated: Wednesday, April 6, 2022
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2013 - November/December
Nov//Dec 2013 Managed Coder by Ted Neward
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Managed Coder: On Conferences
Last updated: Saturday, December 18, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2013 - September/October
Writing software is hard, particularly when the schedules keep programmers’ “nose to the grindstone;” every so often, it’s important to take a breather and look around the world and discover what we can find-ironically, what we find can often help us write software better.
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Managed Coder: “If only Aristotle had not Said Otherwise, I Would Believe You”
Last updated: Tuesday, May 24, 2022
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2013 - July/August
July/August 2013 Managed Coder Article
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Managed Coder: On “Done”
Last updated: Thursday, June 2, 2022
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2013 - May/June
Writing software is hard, particularly when the schedules keep programmers’ “nose to the grindstone;” every so often, it’s important to take a breather and look around the world and discover what we can find. Ironically, what we find can often help us write software better.
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Managed Coder: On Greatness
Last updated: Wednesday, June 8, 2022
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2013 - March/April
Mar/April 2013 Manager Coder Article
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Managed Coder: On Skepticism
Last updated: Thursday, December 16, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2013 - January/February
Jan/Feb 2013 - Managed Coder by Ted Neward
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Managed Coder: On Blogging
Last updated: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2012 - November/December
Ted Neward's Nov/Dec 2012 Column
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Managed Coder: On Prototypes
Last updated: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2012 - September/October
Sept/Oct 2012 Managed Coder Article
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Managed Coder: On Warnings
Last updated: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2012 - July/August
Writing software is hard, particularly when the schedules keep programmers “nose to the grindstone”; every so often, it’s important to take a breather and look around the world and discover what we can find-ironically, what we find can often help us write software better.
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Dynamic Languages 101
Last updated: Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2012 - May/June
Much hoopla has been generated across the community about dynamic languages; much of it is spoken in the same glowing terms normally reserved for unicorns and rainbows. Some of it is deserved, some of it isn’t. All of it seems to surround two languages—JavaScript and Ruby—but in fact, several other languages, three of which I’ll present here, offer some distinctly interesting and useful features.
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Managed Coder: On Diversity
Last updated: Saturday, December 18, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2012 - May/June
May/June 2012 Managed Coder Article by Ted Neward
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Managed Coder: On Abstraction
Last updated: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2012 - March/April
March/April 2012 Managed Coder article by Ted Neward
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Managed Coder: On Being a Consultant
Last updated: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2012 - January/February
Jan/Feb 2012 Managed Coder by Ted Neward
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Managed Coder: Thoughts of a //Build/ Gone By
Last updated: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2011 - November/December
Nov/Dec 2011 Managed Coder by Ted Neward
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Managed Coder: Fear and Loathing of the FTC
Last updated: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2011 - September/October
On June 27, 2011, <i>USA Today </i>ran an article headlined, “FTC Probe Puts Google On Guard”. In it, Scott Martin, the author, said that “The Federal Trade Commission has formally begun its investigation into Google’s search and advertising businesses, examining whether the company has unfairly used its monopoly. … Legal experts say the FTC inquiry marks a turning point for the company as it will come under heightened regulatory scrutiny.” History does not offer great hope for those companies under that heightened regulatory scrutiny. When IBM faced off against the FTC in the 80s, it marked the beginning of what most analysts considered IBM’s slide into mediocrity, and arguments can easily be made that Microsoft’s day in court against the FTC in the last 90s has led to a similar sort of decline. Given Google’s current status as one of Microsoft’s chief rivals, it would seem that for the Microsoft-allied section of the industry, this would be great news.
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Managed Coder: How to Solve It
Last updated: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2011 - July/August
July/August Managed Coder by Ted Neward
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Managed Coder: Advice to a New Programmer
Last updated: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2011 - May/June
Writing software is hard, particularly when the schedule keeps a programmer’s “nose to the grindstone”; every so often, it’s important to take a breather and discover what there is to find—ironically, what you find can often help you write better software. If you’re new to the industry, trying to figure out what to study, much less what to study next, frequently turns into the “Paradox of Choice.”
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Managed Coder: Years and Experience
Last updated: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2011 - March/April
Mar/April 2011 Managed CODE Article
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Managed Coder: When Responsibility?
Last updated: Thursday, December 16, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2011 - January/February
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Managed Coder: The Alphabet of Software Design
Last updated: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2010 - September/October
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Managed Coder: Yes or No (But Maybe…)
Last updated: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2010 - July/August
Writing software is hard, particularly when the schedules keep programmers “nose to the grindstone”; every so often, it’s important to take a breather and look around the world and discover what we can find-ironically, what we find can often help us write software better.Philosophy doesn’t just question the imponderables about the universe; sometimes it shows us the limitations of our own, programming-trained mind, and leaves us to question the approaches we take in building software for the rest of the human race.
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Managed Coder: The Intentional Fallacy
Last updated: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2010 - May/June
Writing software is hard, particularly when the schedules keep programmers “nose to the grindstone”; every so often, it’s important to take a breather and look around the world and discover what we can find-ironically, what we find can often help us write software better.When programming and psychology mix, usually it draws rolled eyes and heavy sighs from the programmer community. But when push comes to shove, knowing a little about how our minds work can only help keep us honest with ourselves, and potentially identify some of our bad habits.
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Managed Coder: The Beetle in the Box
Last updated: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2010 - March/April
Writing software is hard, particularly when the schedules keep programmers “nose to the grindstone.” Every so often, it’s important to take a breather and look around the world and discover what we can find-ironically, what we find can often help us write software better.Life as a programmer is difficult enough, but what happens when even the simplest conversation with other programmers on your team (much less the customers) goes awry?
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Managed Coder: On Certainty
Last updated: Thursday, December 16, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2010 - January/February
Writing software is hard, particularly when the schedules keep programmers “nose to the grindstone”; every so often, it’s important to take a breather and look around the world and discover what we can find-ironically, what we find can often help us write software better.Psychology seems no less strange a partner to the software craftsman than philosophy, but understanding how we engage in that practice called “thought” and “feeling” improves interpersonal skills, like how to deal with annoying co-workers like yourself.
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Managed Coder: On Software Developers
Last updated: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2009 - November/December
Writing software is hard, particularly when the schedules keep programmers “nose to the grindstone”; every so often, it’s important to take a breather and look around the world and discover what we can find-ironically, what we find can often help us write software better.Philosophy seems a strange partner to the software craftsman, but a brief dip in the waters of abstract thought will often help hone skills later useful to the craft of code, models, and dealing with idiot users.
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Managed Coder: Of Software and Philosophy
Last updated: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2009 - September/October
Writing software is hard, particularly when the schedules keep programmers “nose to the grindstone.” Every so often, it’s important to take a breather and look around the world and discover what we can find-what we find can often help us write software better.Philosophy seems a strange partner to the software craftsman, but ironically a brief dip in the waters of abstract thought will help hone skills later useful to the craft of code, models, and workable software.
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ThoughtWorking: Of Killer Waves and Sea Changes
Last updated: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2009 - July/August
Writing software is hard, particularly when the tools you use force you to think at too low a level; it’s time to start thinking about changing the way you write code… by thinking about the industry around us and how that affects your environment.Every so often an event comes along in the industry that represents a potential “sea change” to how the industry operates. Sometimes these are technical changes, either by releasing a new technology or an important ground-breaking change to an existing one. Sometimes they’re economic, driven by market forces outside of our direct control. And sometimes, they’re financial, such as when two industry giants come together.
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ThoughtWorking: Functional Programming in C# 2.0
Last updated: Thursday, February 21, 2019
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2009 - May/June
Writing software is hard, particularly when the tools you use force you to think at too low a level; it’s time to start thinking about changing the way you write code… by making it easier to write code.Taking on new ways to program doesn’t always mean tossing away your favorite programming language or environment. Sometimes it just means taking a new look at how you’re using your language and trying out a few new ideas. It’s time to take a hard look at your favorite language and see if it’s possible to “fall in love all over again”.
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ThoughtWorking: Why The Next Five Years Will Be About Languages
Last updated: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2009 - March/April
Writing software is hard, particularly when the tools you use force you to think at too low a level; it’s time to start thinking about changing the way you write code… by making it easier to write code.Back in the days of our fathers, programming meant focusing on learning one language, one platform, and one environment, and mastering it over a span of years. Those years are long behind us, along with half-decade project development times and bell-bottomed pants. It’s time to take a hard look at the “state of the union”, per se, and see how you can think about how to work better, rather than just putting in more time.
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F# 101
Last updated: Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Published in: CODE Magazine: 2008 - September/October
F#, the latest member of the Visual Studio family of languages, offers some enticing advantages over C# and Visual Basic, stemming from its functional-object fusion nature.Originally a research language from Microsoft Research, F# has long been a “secret weapon” in the arsenal of .NET programmers for doing statistical- and mathematical-heavy coding. More recently, however, a growing number of developers have begun to see the inherent advantages implicit in writing functional code, particularly in the areas of concurrency. The buzz has begun to approach interesting levels, particularly on the heels of an announcement last year from the head of the Microsoft Developer Division, Somasegar, that F# would be “productized” and fully supported by Microsoft as a whole, suddenly removing the stigma and licensing restrictions that surround research projects.