Santiago Nakakawa | S/W Design and Architecture

Software Craftsmanship In his podcast titled "Software Craftsmanship", Bob Martin talks about some tips in tackling agile development throught the use of the craft of good designing. He talks about craftsmanship as a "mentor and disciple" ability, one that must be taught by an experienced developer to those who are just beginning their journey as programmers. He even mentions that one's skills begin only after you graduate and begin to work, and then you'd wish for having a mentor to show you the secrets and hacks for good designing or you'll be forced to self taught yourself and learn from try and error. But the important thing is to keep in mind that you should and must keep learning always at all times different techniques in order to become a master in software design and development. I really enjoyed these 4 hacks he mentions in the podcast that can help you keep up your level and gain skill: He first mentions that one should not only pro...

Is Design Dead? So far, all the articles I've read are in their majority speculations and theories about the importance of good designing and the future of software development techniques and strategies. This one wasn't the exception. One thing that called my attention is how Mr. Fowler talks about extreme programming as a common way of working in the industry, as he explains how different patterns could be use to produce more efficient software and yet is ignored under the premise of quickness. He talks once again about the complexity of reversibility when its main purpose is to make designing and building much easier, and also introduces new terms to me like the evolutionary design. I can relate to his experiences and stories about how we are so used to program thinking constantly in the future use of software and often fall far from the original purpose of the program. It is really difficult to just ignore your inner common sense when supposing you should add extra fe...

Who needs an Architect? On his article "Who Needs An Architect?", Martin Fowler discusses about the importance and definition of a software architect. As he further narrates, being an "architect" in software seems to be a misunderstood profession, as the definition and limits of their functions in software developping are not clearly defined and constantly debated among experts in the field. In the first definition he references, he explains how customers don't really know or care about the architecture of the software, as they are plainly focused on its functionality, therefore an architect is more of a guide for all developers to follow in order for them to understand how the different parts of the puzzle should fit all together. This "shared understanding" (as said in the article) is the architecture and core of the software. This first definition concludes then that a good architecture should have focused information that is simple and d...

The power of good software architecture The importance behind a simple, yet efficient design. In the chapter 14 of his book "Code Craft", author and developer Peter GoodLiffe talks about the importance and influence of good software designing. I found it quite practical (and a little unconventional) how he describes the different styles of architecture in software through comparisons with pasta. I was so hungry yet intrigued while reading through the descriptions of each type and the different applications each have for different situations. I always find it overwhelming how easy it can seem to make a good base to develop software, and yet there are so many sources and lectures on how to get it right, as it is clearly underestimated how challenging it can result to make not only a functional software, but flexible, modular, esthetic, and reliable. And the most difficult thing of all is that there are NO right answers. There are NO instructions or guides on how to b...

Moon Machines The struggle to take the man to the moon So, tonight I just finished watching this documentary called "Moon Machines EP3: Navigation Computer" in Youtube. To be honest, I've never been too keen into space and aeronautics, so my knowledge about spaceraft technology and history is not great. I've always supposed that aerospacial engineering ought to be quite a challenge, and probably Apollo 11's mission to put a man in the moon is the peak representation of years of research and development of hundreds of engineers and scientists. However, I cannot help but to state I am completely astonished by the content of this documentary, as it relates one of many obstacles that engineers had to face in order to achieve the mission in time and quality: the navigation system in space.  The first thing that caught my attention is the fact that the US government chose a university as the main development centre (MIT) to achieve the mission, even when there we...

Introduction Hi there! Welcome to my Blog! My name is Santiago Nakakawa Bernal. I'm 21 years old and I'm currently studying Computer Science and Engineering in ITESM CEM. People often call me Naka as a diminutive from my last name. I love music and playing the piano. I am currently certificating in a Degree as Piano Interpreter by the Abroad Royal School of Music from the UK. (ABRSM), and hope to study a masters in music technology or music software development. I too have experience in different performances and shows. Videogames are also another big passion of mine. I love playing videogames for both Play Station and PC. My favorite games are the Assassin's Creed Saga, the Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, the Last of Us, Injustice and Uncharted. As you can see, I have an inclination for first player role-play games with rich histories. This winter vacations I recently played Rise of the Tomb Raider, AC Rogue and a lot of Minecraft. About films my favorite content I watched ...