Dave Thomas is a programmer, author, publisher, and one of the original authors of the Agile Manifesto. He co-authored The Pragmatic Programmer with Andy Hunt and later co-founded the Pragmatic Bookshelf, applying software development practices to the way technical books are written, produced, tested, updated, and published.

In this episode, Dave talks about discovering programming as a teenager, writing The Pragmatic Programmer, bringing Ruby to an English-speaking audience, and helping create the Agile Manifesto. We also get into the origins of code kata, using AI without surrendering judgment to it, the decline of technical publishing, writing Simplicity, and what developers need to learn when generating code is easier than ever.

In this episode:

• How the Agile Manifesto came together and why Dave believes the movement lost its original focus
• Using feedback, iteration, and reversible decisions to change direction without losing everything
• Where code kata came from and what repetition teaches programmers
• Why using AI effectively still requires knowing how to do the work yourself
• How Dave discovered programming and found a way to express his ideas through code
• How consulting notes became The Pragmatic Programmer
• Why Dave and Andy Hunt decided to start the Pragmatic Bookshelf
• How software development practices shaped the way the Pragmatic Bookshelf produced books
• Writing Simplicity and working with an editor for the first time
• What AI and changing reading habits mean for technical publishing
• Why Dave measures professional success by the effect his work has had on other people
• The story behind his family's zombie apocalypse cellar

Topics: software development, programming, agile development, Agile Manifesto, artificial intelligence, code kata, technical writing, publishing, Pragmatic Bookshelf, The Pragmatic Programmer, Ruby

Roundabout: Creative Chaos is a podcast hosted by Tammy Coron exploring creativity, design, and technology. Listen at roundaboutcreativechaos.com and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.