Joel and Aaron dive into a friendly debate about the true nature of feature flags in software development. Drawing from their varied experiences across different programming languages and environments, they explore whether feature flags should always be temporary or can serve permanent purposes. The discussion evolves from a simple disagreement into deeper insights about different architectural approaches.

• (00:00) - Newsletter tips undergo careful peer review process
• (02:15) - Debating if feature flags should be temporary
• (05:25) - Different uses of feature flags across languages
• (07:20) - Feature flags in modern Laravel applications
• (08:35) - Silly Bit

Ooh, something new was just announced. And I have this project coming up. It could be perfect! But should I use it?

On today's episode of No Compromises, Aaron and Joel share a conversation they had along these lines on a recent client project and considering the new Flux library from the creator of Livewire.

• (00:00) - Discussing potential Flux adoption in Bootstrap project
• (01:00) - Flux explained: Livewire-based UI component library
• (04:45) - Risk assessment of adding new technologies
• (06:00) - Extra risk for a 1.0
• (08:45) - When new tech might be worth the risk
• (11:50) - Silly Bit

Programmers love geeking out and creating specialized terms and vocabulary. Well I can do that too. In today's episode, we talk about "value objects", put our own special definition on it, and discuss when we might use these in a Laravel project.

• (00:00) - What I mean by "value object"
• (03:00) - Nicer to do in newer PHP versions
• (04:00) - Main use case for value objects
• (05:30) - Use them for everything then?
• (09:00) - A second reason to use a value object
• (10:45) - Silly bit

Have you ever struggled working with a third party on one of your developer projects? How do you handle that, keeping it professional and also still able to meet your commitments?

In today's episode of No Compromises, Aaron and Joel discuss what happened on a recent project and how they think about handling those kinds of difficulties while still having boundaries.

And if you're looking for help on your Laravel project, get in touch!

JSON fields can be very useful, but when is a good time to include them in your database design?

In today's episode of No Compromises, Aaron and Joel use a couple examples from recent projects to talk through reasons they would and would not use a JSON field.

• (00:00) - Debating JSON fields in database design
• (03:06) - Configuration options: JSON vs. relational tables
• (07:05) - Real-world example: label customization dilemma
• (11:30) - Silly bit

Static types and tooling have increased the quality of our apps, but sometimes certain features in your Laravel app don't play nicely with static analysis.

In today's episode, we talk about how we approach the tradeoffs around making a tool happy without changing how you write code.

• (00:00) - Our approach to static analysis in a Laravel app
• (01:30) - Using PHPDoc inline
• (03:00) - When Laravel doesn't quite give you the type you want
• (05:00) - A different approach than inline types
• (06:30) - Are you just making the tool happy?
• (07:45) - An example of going too far
• (10:10) - Silly bit

I write a lot about testing in the Mastering Laravel newsletter. Ever wonder why it's a topic I care so much about?

In today's episode, we discuss that question and come up with a few different reasons.

• (00:00) - Why do we like testing so much?
• (01:20) - Looking back at how we learned
• (02:30) - Making it easier to join a project
• (05:45) - Tests make you more productive
• (07:45) - Shifting your thinking
• (10:10) - Silly bit

What does it really mean when you say you know a particular technology? On today's episode, we discuss this using TypeScript as a specific example.

• (00:00) - What does it mean to "know" something?
• (03:15) - Thinking about TypeScript vs strict types in PHP
• (05:30) - Are you fluent?
• (06:50) - Silly bit