Mark Richards
ÜberConf
Denver · July 21 - 24, 2015
Independent Software Architect, Author of Fundamentals of Software Architecture
Mark Richards is an experienced, hands-on software architect involved in the architecture, design, and implementation of microservices architectures, service-oriented architectures, and distributed systems. He has been in the software industry since 1983 and has significant experience and expertise in application, integration, and enterprise architecture. Mark is the founder of DeveloperToArchitect.com, a website devoted to helping developers in the journey to software architect. He is the author of numerous technical books and videos, including the recently published Fundamentals of Software Architecture, Microservices AntiPatterns and Pitfalls, Microservices vs. SOA, the Software Architecture Fundamentals video series, The Enterprise Messaging video series, Java Message Service, 2nd Edition, and contributing author to 97 Things Every Software Architect Should Know. Mark has a master’s degree in computer science and is a regular conference speaker at the No Fluff Just Stuff (NFJS) Symposium Series. He has spoken at hundreds of conferences and user groups around the world on a variety of enterprise-related technical topics.
Presentations
Software Development AntiPatterns
The ancient Chinese warrior Sun Tzu taught his men to “know your enemy” before going into battle. For developers, the equivalent is knowing and understanding software development anti-patterns – things that we repeatedly do that produce negative results. Anti-patterns are used by developers, architects and managers every day, and are one of the main factors preventing progress and success. In this humorous and fast-paced session we will take a deep-dive look at some of the more common and significant software development anti-patterns. Through coding and design examples you will see how these anti-patterns emerge, how to recognize when an anti-pattern is being used, and most importantly, learn how to avoid them through effective software development techniques and practices. Although most of the coding examples are in Java, this is largely a technology-agnostic session.
Architectural Modularity
It seems like all we talk about these days is making our architectures more modular. Buy why? In this session I will discuss the drivers and reasons why it is essential to move towards a level of modularity in our architectures. I will discuss and show real-world use cases of distributed modular architectures (specifically microservices and service-based architecture), and then discuss in detail the core differences between microservices and service-based architecture and when you should consider each. I'll end the talk by discussing the most effective way of migrating to modular distributed architectures.
Architecture Patterns
Just as developers use design patterns in software development, architects use well-defined architecture patterns to get a head start on defining the characteristics and shape of the architecture for a system. In this session we will explore some of the more common architecture patterns and use concrete real-world examples to demonstrate how the patterns work. I will also go over the pros and cons of each pattern and discuss how requirements and operational aspects can drive which patterns to use. Using the right architecture pattern for your system is critical, because as we all know, once in place the architecture is very hard to change.
Architectural Thinking
Many of you may have an architect title, take on the role of an architect, or even aspire to be an architect, but are you thinking like an architect? Architectural thinking is learning to look at a problem or task from an architect's point of view. In this session we will look at many facets of architectural thinking, including how requirements shape the architecture, component-based thinking, how to make architecture decisions, and what feasibility and vitality means to an architect.
Software Architecture Fundamentals
The job Software Architect places in the top ten of most annual surveys of best jobs, yet no clear path exists from Developer to Architect. Why aren’t there more books and training materials to fill this demand? First, software architecture is a massive multidisciplinary subject, covering many roles and responsibilities, making it difficult to teach because so much context is required for the interesting subjects. Second, it’s a fast moving discipline, where entire suites of best practices become obsolete overnight. This workshop provides the fundamentals to transition from developer to architect, or to help “accidental” architects.
The Soft Skills of Architecture Part 1
Being a software architect is a tough job. Not only do you have to have significant technical depth and breadth, but you also need to understand the business domain you are working in. While these aspects are important, there is another perhaps more vital aspect of being an architect - the soft skills. Too many architects fail to realize the importance of soft skills, and as a result do not achieve success in their career as an architect. In this two-part session I will focus on the soft skills of architecture. In part one I will cover skills related to techniques such as architecture decisions, architecture refactoring, and communicating your software architecture through diagrams, documentation, and presentation.
The Art of Problem Solving
As Tech Leaders, we are presented with problems and work to find a way to solve them, usually through technology. In my opinion this is what makes this industry so much fun. Let's face it - we all love challenges. Sometimes, however, the problems we have to solve are hard - really hard. So how do you go about solving really hard problems? That's what this session is about - Heuristics, the art of problem solving. In this session you will learn how to approach problems and also learn techniques for solving them effectively. So put on your thinking cap and get ready to solve some easy, fun, and hard problems.