I learned to program in my own free time for no other reason than I found it interesting. I was touched deeply by both unix and smalltalk but now find our networked world a more fascinating medium for programming.
I create wiki sites as others would create documents. The advantage is that these pages federate with similar works by others. Read them like essays or as tweets. Remember, though, they are alive.
I'm writing about Extreme Programming which is the closest well known method aligned with what I do. I have published Episodes, a pattern language describing many xp practices before they acquired the names they use today.
History
XP has its roots at Tektronix in the Portland area. As it started to be known a local user group, XPDX, was formed. Always newbie oriented, eventually the group chose to replace the name with AgilePDX. This site forwarded its traffic there.
I've relaunched xpdx.org as a federated wiki, one of many I write, but with this one centered on extreme practices and the communities that advance them.
Participation
If you're writing in a federated wiki and think I should know what you say then send me a link. I'll add you to the list.
If you're a programmer innovating in what you program as well as how you program it then I'd like to work together more closely.
We can write together in incremental paragraphs until our words rise together in a chorus of voices. I'll show you how and make a place for you.
Tips for Editing Patterns applies here too.
Agile Manifesto provides a gateway here and elsewhere.
Leveraged Activities @ FutureStack14
References
I wrote Federated Wiki while I served as Nike's open-data fellow. I currently work for NewRelic in Portland, Oregon.
This pattern language describes a form of software development appropriate for an entrepreneurial organization.
A complete thought is more important than a complete sentence. Write to be read in progress. Expect your work to be consumed and discarded before it is finished.
I learned a few things Becoming an Activist that I relate here in the form of patterns. I elaborate on one or two from each section.
Four distinct concerns surface when designing federated wiki based information communities. We identify each and suggest forces that must be resolved before creative collaboration will take place.
I will no longer rely on Twitter to remember my most carefully crafted tweets. I've scanned Twitter's history for the subset of my compositions that do not exist simply to send people somewhere else. Newest first.
We promote ongoing personal reflection on topics discussed at Lean Coffee meetups.
Federation makes even tiny wiki sites valuable. To feel this value, make some sites. Experiment. Keep the ones you like. Here I reflect on three years of doing this myself.