October 2024 Meeting

The October 2024 meeting of LRUG will be on Monday the 14th of October, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm (meeting starts at 6:30pm).

This month we're hosted by the lovely folk at Zappi in their offices, on Camden High St. Full venue and registration details are given below.

Agenda #

Fighting Enshittification with ActivityPub #

James Smith says:

ActivityPub is the protocol that powers the Fediverse, a web of social sites like Mastodon, PixelFed, and a host of other free and open source tools. I’ll explain what ActivityPub is, how it works, and discuss the Federails Rails engine which allows you to add federation into your existing Rails web apps. By breaking open the silos of existing social media like this, we can fight the enshittification of the web and reclaim a bit of power from the massive companies that own our online lives.

1. LRUG October 2024 - James Smith - Fighting Enshittification with ActivityPub

Plan to scale or plan to fail: an evidence-based approach for improving systems performance #

Jade Dickinson is giving us a preview of her RubyConf 2024 talk:

In this talk, I will present a methodology for replicating most standard Rails systems, for the purpose of load testing.

You can use this to find out how your system performs with more traffic than you currently encounter. This will be useful if you are on a Rails team that is starting to see scaling challenges.

At Theta Lake we operate at scale and are applying this methodology to proactively find ways to bring down our server costs. You don’t want to leave it until either your server costs soar out of control, or your entire system is about to fail. By seeing into the future just a little bit, you can find bottlenecks in your system and so find where you can improve its scalability.

Afterwards #

When the talks come to an end we'll decamp to a local pub for some food, some drinks and some chat with your fellow attendees.

Of course, even though this is the socialising part and seems more informal, please remember that still we consider it to be a part of the meeting and covered by our code of conduct.

Venue & Registration #

Prior to attending you should familiarise yourself with our README paying close attention to the code of conduct which applies to all attendees.

Secure your place #

Hopefully you all remember that physical meetings involve finite space and so to be guaranteed entry you need to register via ticket tailor.

We are trialling a new ticketing platform, Ticket Tailor. Do let us know how you find the user flow on it.

Venue #

The address of the venue:

Zappi
Theatre House
97 - 99 Camden High St
London
NW1 7JN

See on a map

The venue has a hard limit of 100 people. If you register and realise you can't come, please use eventbrite to give up your place so we can someone else come in your place. We might be able to let in people on the night who haven't registered, but we can't guarantee it.

Posted by Frederick Cheung on Sep 09, 2024

September 2024 Meeting

The September 2024 meeting of LRUG will be on Monday the 9th of September, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm (meeting starts at 6:30pm).

This time we're being hosted by the lovely folk at Bloom & Wild in their offices, near Vauxhall. They've also kindly agreed to provide pizza and drinks. Full venue and registration details are given below.

Agenda #

B&W Rewards - Domains, Events & Ledgers #

Rachel Bingham and Boaz Yehezkel will be speaking about:

How we developed the B&W Rewards system. Starting from event storming with stakeholders and technical planning across squads to clear domain boundaries to
how we used an event bus and agnostic accounting system to keep things clear, concise and extendable.

1. LRUG September 2024 - Rachel Bingham - B&W Rewards - Domains, Events & Ledgers

From Spaghetti to Lasagna: Layering your code with DDD #

Lily Stoney

How to apply DDD to a monolithic codebase, the benefits and reasons why it can be beneficial, and how the event storming process can make the process of defining domain boundaries a simpler task!

1. LRUG September 2024 - Lily Stoney - From Spaghetti to Lasagna Layering your code with DDD

Afterwards #

After the talks are finished, and we've tidied up the venue a bit, we head over to a local pub for some food and drinks and the opportunity to chat with each other.

Of course, even though this is the socialising part and seems more informal, please remember that still we consider it to be a part of the meeting and covered by our code of conduct.

Venue & Registration #

Prior to attending you should familiarise yourself with our README paying close attention to the code of conduct which applies to all attendees.

Secure your place #

Hopefully you all remember that physical meetings involve finite space and so to be guaranteed entry you need to register via ticket tailor.

We are trialling a new ticketing platform, Ticket Tailor. Do let us know how you find the user flow on it.

Venue #

The address of the venue:

Bloom and Wild
Unit 301 Vox Studios
1-45 Durham Street
London
SE11 5JH

See on a map

Bloom and Wild are based in the West Tower as you enter the courtyard - directions here.

There will likely be someone situated in the courtyard to direct people to the office and let them in but if not instructions on entering the building below:

• When you arrive at the West Building (the one without the concierge / cafe), please call 301 on the keypad and someone will let you in.
• Make your way to the lift (located up some small steps) and press 301 again in the keypad to the left of the lift doors.
• Once in the lift, press level 3 and this will bring you to reception

The venue has a hard limit of 50 people. If you register and realise you can't come, please use tickettailor to give up your place so we can someone else come in your place. We might be able to let in people on the night who haven't registered, but we can't guarantee it.

Accessibility info for the venue #

Below you can find all the accessibility info for Bloom & Wild's office:

For step-free access there are two lifts in the West Tower, one beside the stairs as you enter the building and the other to access the 3rd floor. We also have an accessible toilet.

Posted by Frederick Cheung on Aug 16, 2024

August 2024 Meeting

The August 2024 meeting of LRUG will be on Monday the 12th of August, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm (meeting starts at 6:30pm).

This time we're being hosted by the lovely folk at the Electric Car Scheme in their offices, near Harlington & Hayes Elizabeth line station. They've also graciously agreed to provide pizza and beverages. Full venue and registration details are given below.

Agenda #

Turn Left for Bridgetown: An overview of a next-generation static(ish) site generator #

Ayush says:

Bridgetown is a modern progressive site generator with Jekyll ancestry. Allow me to be your guide as I take you on a whistle-stop tour of its biggest and best features; and show you how it brings Ruby-powered site generation into 2024.

Afterwards #

After the talks are finished, and we've tidied up the venue a bit, we head over to a local pub for some food and drinks and the opportunity to chat with each other.

Of course, even though this is the socialising part and seems more informal, please remember that still we consider it to be a part of the meeting and covered by our code of conduct.

Venue & Registration #

Prior to attending you should familiarise yourself with our README paying close attention to the code of conduct which applies to all attendees.

Secure your place #

Hopefully you all remember that physical meetings involve finite space and so to be guaranteed entry you need to register via ticket tailor.

We are trialling a new ticketing platform, Ticket Tailor. Do let us know how you find the user flow on it.

Venue #

The address of the venue:

The Electric Car Scheme
Floor 1
Shipping Building
Hayes
UB3 1HA

See on a map

The venue has a hard limit of 60 people. If you register and realise you can't come, please use tickettailor to give up your place so we can someone else come in your place. We might be able to let in people on the night who haven't registered, but we can't guarantee it.

• Car/Motorbike: There is parking outside the front of the building. If you have parked there, Please inform a member of The Electric Car Scheme who will be waiting by the reception and we'll register your car.
• Electric Car: There are charging terminals in our parking facility. Please contact ECS about this for further details
• Bike: There is a secure cycle facility. Please contact ECS prior to the event if you would like access to this.

Accessibility info for the venue #

Below you can find all the accessibility info for the Electric Car Scheme's office:

• Your entire experience within our office will be step free
  • step free access to enter the Shipping Building
  • step free access from the entrance to the lifts and from the lifts to the office
  • step free office
• Harlington & Hayes Station does provide a step-free experience. There is also an underpass to avoid the main road
• There are 4 lifts for transporting people to each floor
• There is disabled parking at the front of the building
• There is 1 accessible restroom in the office, the door to corridor to the accessible restroom is not auto-open

Some caveats, which we hope will not deter anybody:

• The main doors into the Shipping Building do not auto-open - they open inwards with a push
• The doors to rooms that have access to the lifts are not auto-open

Posted by Frederick Cheung on Jul 20, 2024

July 2024 Meeting

The July 2024 meeting of LRUG will be on Monday the 8th of July, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm (meeting starts at 6:30pm).

This time we're being hosted by the lovely folk at Cleo in their offices, on Shoreditch High St. Full venue and registration details are given below.

Agenda #

That smells like time #

fell sunderland says:

How does an experienced programmer solve problems? It's simpler (and more complicated) than you might think!

1. LRUG July 2024 - fell sunderland - That smells like time
2. That smells like time - Slides

Finding unused Ruby methods #

Joel Biffin says:

Whether code is safe to delete or not is a bit of a murky question in Ruby - especially in untyped Ruby. Fear not though, as dangling unused methods are a pretty safe place to start deleting things. Let's start there and see where we get to. Introducing the Thanatos gem to help you find those unused methods lurking in your code.

1. LRUG July 2024 - Joel Biffin - Finding unused Ruby methods

Afterwards #

After the talks are finished, and we've tidied up the venue a bit, we head over to a local pub for some food and drinks and the opportunity to chat with each other.

Of course, even though this is the socialising part and seems more informal, please remember that still we consider it to be a part of the meeting and covered by our code of conduct.

Venue & Registration #

Prior to attending you should familiarise yourself with our README paying close attention to the code of conduct which applies to all attendees.

Secure your place #

Hopefully you all remember that physical meetings involve finite space and so to be guaranteed entry you need to register via ticket tailor.

We are trialling a new ticketing platform, Ticket Tailor. Do let us know how you find the user flow on it.

Venue #

The address of the venue:

Cleo
Unit 2.10, 2nd Floor
Tea Building
56 Shoreditch High St.
London
E1 6JJ

See on a map

The venue has a hard limit of 60 people. If you register and realise you can't come, please use eventbrite to give up your place so we can someone else come in your place. We might be able to let in people on the night who haven't registered, but we can't guarantee it.

Accessibility info for the venue #

Below you can find all the accessibility info for Cleo's office:

• There is step free access to enter the Tea Building from both entrances (Redchurch St and Bethnal Green Rd)
• There are stairs and a small open platform lift to get you from the Tea Building lobby to the lifts going up to the 2nd floor
• There are 2 lifts for transporting people to each floor of the Tea Building
• There is step-free access from the lifts to Cleo's office unit
• The double doors to the office may be opened to accommodate a wider wheelchair or motorised chair
• The main floor of our office is step free
• There is 1 accessible restroom in the office, and 6 restrooms in total

Now, there are a couple of caveats, which we hope will not deter anybody:

• The main doors into the Tea Building do not auto-open - they open inwards with a push
• The door to Cleo's office does not auto-open - it opens inwards with a push.

Posted by Murray Steele on Jun 23, 2024

June 2024 Meeting

The June 2024 meeting of LRUG will be on Monday the 10th of June, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm (meeting starts at 6:30pm).

This time we're being hosted by the lovely folk at Le Wagon in their offices on Kingsland Road (near Hoxton overground). Full venue and registration details are given below.

Agenda #

Things I've learned maintaining OpenStreetMap #

Andy Allan says:

Maintaining one of the world's largest non-commercial websites, OpenStreetMap, is a unique challenge. We're a small, volunteer-based development team, not professional software developers. I will illustrate some of these challenges with a mixture of technical and organisational tips, tricks and recommendations, that you might find useful for your own teams and projects too.

1. LRUG June 2024 - Andy Allan - Things I've learned maintaining OpenStreetMap

LiveView: stateful, server-rendered HTML #

Yevhenii Kurtov says:

LiveView is Elixir's analogue to Hotwire that also helps to keep it closer to the server and contributes to the One Person Framework movement. In this talk, we will explore how the stateful model makes it different from similar technologies and what optimisations the Phoenix team did to make it feel snappy and deliver a world-class UX

1. LRUG June 2024 - Yevhenii Kurtov - LiveView: Stateful, server-rendered HTML

Afterwards #

When the talks come to an end we'll decamp to a local pub for some food, some drinks and some chat with your fellow attendees.

Of course, even though this is the socialising part and seems more informal, please remember that still we consider it to be a part of the meeting and covered by our code of conduct.

Venue & Registration #

Prior to attending you should familiarise yourself with our README paying close attention to the code of conduct which applies to all attendees.

Secure your place #

Hopefully you all remember that physical meetings involve finite space and so to be guaranteed entry you need to register via ticket tailor.

We are trialling a new ticketing platform, Ticket Tailor. Do let us know how you find the user flow on it.

Venue #

The address of the venue:

Le Wagon
Ground Floor
Unit 13
138 Kingsland Road
London
E2 8DY

See on a map

The venue has a hard limit of 100 people. If you register and realise you can't come, please let us know we can give up your place to let someone else come in your place. We might be able to let in people on the night who haven't registered, but we can't guarantee it.

Accessibility info for the venue #

Below you can find all the accessibility info for Le Wagon's office:

• It's a ground floor room, no stairs required and the toilets are fully accessible

Posted by Murray Steele on May 20, 2024

May 2024 Meeting

The May 2024 meeting of LRUG will be on Monday the 13th of May, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm (meeting starts at 6:30pm).

This time we're being hosted by the lovely folk at Cleo in their offices, on Shoreditch High St. Full venue and registration details are given below.

Agenda #

Build and maintain large Ruby applications #

Enrico Teotti says:

This presentation will be about the challenges of building large Ruby web applications and how to maintain existing ones. I will use examples adapted from real applications that I worked on during my 10 years of experience with Ruby outlining: technical limitations of the language, how to use a modular dependency structure to enforce boundaries in complex domains.

Building modern eCommerce applications using Rails 7 #

Winston Ferguson says:

With the newest Rails version, we can create platforms that offer the modern features customers and sellers expect, with less complexity. Combine it with an established open-source gem like Spree, and you've got a comprehensive commerce system. I'll share my learnings from three real-life examples: a music label selling limited edition vinyl LPs, a wholesaler shedding enterprise SaaS for a tailor-made setup, and my furniture startup, where CAD brings bespoke pieces to life.

Afterwards #

When the talks come to an end we'll decamp to a local pub for some food, some drinks and some chat with your fellow attendees.

Of course, even though this is the socialising part and seems more informal, please remember that still we consider it to be a part of the meeting and covered by our code of conduct.

Venue & Registration #

Prior to attending you should familiarise yourself with our README paying close attention to the code of conduct which applies to all attendees.

Secure your place #

Hopefully you all remember that physical meetings involve finite space and so to be guaranteed entry you need to register via ticket tailor.

We are trialling a new ticketing platform, Ticket Tailor. Do let us know how you find the user flow on it.

Venue #

The address of the venue:

Cleo
Unit 2.10, 2nd Floor
Tea Building
56 Shoreditch High St.
London
E1 6JJ

See on a map

The venue has a hard limit of 60 people. If you register and realise you can't come, please use eventbrite to give up your place so we can someone else come in your place. We might be able to let in people on the night who haven't registered, but we can't guarantee it.

Accessibility info for the venue #

Below you can find all the accessibility info for Cleo's office:

• There is step free access to enter the Tea Building from both entrances (Redchurch St and Bethnal Green Rd)
• There are stairs and a small open platform lift to get you from the Tea Building lobby to the lifts going up to the 2nd floor
• There are 2 lifts for transporting people to each floor of the Tea Building
• There is step-free access from the lifts to Cleo's office unit
• The double doors to the office may be opened to accommodate a wider wheelchair or motorised chair
• The main floor of our office is step free
• There is 1 accessible restroom in the office, and 6 restrooms in total

Now, there are a couple of caveats, which we hope will not deter anybody:

• The main doors into the Tea Building do not auto-open - they open inwards with a push
• The door to Cleo's office does not auto-open - it opens inwards with a push.

Posted by Chris Lowis on Apr 16, 2024

April 2024 Meeting

The April 2024 meeting of LRUG will be on Monday the 8th of April, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm (meeting starts at 6:30pm).

This month we're hosted by the lovely folk at Canva in their offices, on Hoxton Square. Full venue and registration details are given below.

Agenda #

Do you want a flake with that? #

Murray Steele:

Flaky tests are awful, in this talk we'll explore why tests flake and look at some techniques and tools you can use to discover why your tests are flaking.

1. LRUG April 2024 - Murray Steele - Do you want a flake with that?
2. Talks ∋ Do you want a flake with that?

What the Chernobyl disaster can teach us about incident response #

Frederick Cheung says:

What does the worst nuclear disaster ever have in common with a web application being down? On the face of it, vanishingly little, but the incredible series of events before, during and after the disaster have plenty of insights to teach us about more mundane situations

1. LRUG April 2024 - Frederick Cheung - What the Chernobyl disaster can teach us about incident response

Talks needed! #

You, maybe?

We still have room for more talks, get in touch to volunteer!

Afterwards #

When the talks come to an end we'll decamp to a local pub for some food, some drinks and some chat with your fellow attendees.

Of course, even though this is the socialising part and seems more informal, please remember that still we consider it to be a part of the meeting and covered by our code of conduct.

Venue & Registration #

Prior to attending you should familiarise yourself with our README paying close attention to the code of conduct which applies to all attendees.

Secure your place #

Hopefully you all remember that physical meetings involve finite space and so to be guaranteed entry you need to register via ticket tailor.

We are trialling a new ticketing platform, Ticket Tailor. Do let us know how you find the user flow on it.

Venue #

The address of the venue:

Canva
33 Hoxton Square
London
N1 6PB

See on a map

The venue has a hard limit of 150 people. Even with such a high number, if you register and realise you can't come, please use ticket tailor to give up your ticket so someone else can come in your place. We might be able to let in people on the night who haven't registered, but we can't guarantee it.

Posted by Murray Steele on Mar 15, 2024

March 2024 Meeting

The March 2024 meeting of LRUG will be on Monday the 11th of March, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm (meeting starts at 6:30pm).

This month we're hosted by the lovely folk at Canva in their offices, on Hoxton Square. Full venue and registration details are given below.

Agenda #

How to Stop Being a Subject Matter Expert #

Luke Thomas says:

Tactics for helping that stressed-out single point of failure in your life become a happier member of a team…of multiple points of failure.

1. LRUG March 2024 - Luke Thomas - How to Stop Being a Subject Matter Expert

WTF is Technical Strategy #

Laurie Young says:

The phrase "Technical Strategy" is often used by senior leaders when they want something from their tech teams. However, it's an unclear phrase that doesn't explain what is needed or why. In this talk, you will learn what's behind the phrase, but also how anyone from a CTO to a new developer can use that knowledge to drive conversations that will help not just the leadership but the whole organisation.

1. LRUG March 2024 - Laurie Young - WTF is Technical Strategy

Afterwards #

When the talks come to an end we'll decamp to a local pub for some food, some drinks and some chat with your fellow attendees.

Of course, even though this is the socialising part and seems more informal, please remember that still we consider it to be a part of the meeting and covered by our code of conduct.

Venue & Registration #

Prior to attending you should familiarise yourself with our README paying close attention to the code of conduct which applies to all attendees.

Secure your place #

Hopefully you all remember that physical meetings involve finite space and so to be guaranteed entry you need to register via ticket tailor.

We are trialling a new ticketing platform, Ticket Tailor. Do let us know how you find the user flow on it.

Venue #

The address of the venue:

Canva
33 Hoxton Square
London
N1 6PB

See on a map

The venue has a hard limit of 150 people. Even with such a high number, if you register and realise you can't come, please use ticket tailor to give up your place so someone else can come in your place. We might be able to let in people on the night who haven't registered, but we can't guarantee it.

Posted by Alessandro Proserpio on Feb 18, 2024

February 2024 Meeting

The February 2024 meeting of LRUG will be on Monday the 12th of February, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm (meeting starts at 6:30pm).

This month we're hosted by the lovely folk at Funding Circle in their offices, on Queen Victoria St. Full venue and registration details are given below.

Agenda #

Lightning Talks! #

Our February meeting is our annual event devoted to short talks of no more than 10 minutes.

Data pagination for jekyll-paginate-v2 #

Jay Caines-Gooby:

A quick dive into getting data-pagination (.csv, .json, .tsv & .yaml files in your _data directory) working with the jekyll-paginate-v2 gem. After deciding that I wanted to archive my posts to a Slack #music-we-like channel, I wanted to also make the archived posts paginatible…

1. LRUG February 2024 - Jay Caines-Gooby - Data pagination for jekyll-paginate-v2

Using devcontainers with Ruby #

Jonathan James:

When an engineer joins your organisation, how long does it take for them to configure their development environment? I will discuss using devcontainers with VSCode to reduce this time from "days" to "minutes''.

1. devcontainers
2. LRUG February 2024 - Jonathan James - Using devcontainers with Ruby

Contract testing between Ruby applications #

Katya Essina & Sarah O'Grady:

• what is contract testing & how it works
• why we need contract testing at Funding Circle
• what a contract test looks like for a Ruby application
• how contract testing works in practice

1. LRUG February 2024 - Katya Essina & Sarah O'Grady - Contract Testing between Ruby applications

What is ruby really capable of? #

fell sunderland:

I'd like to do a whistlestop tour of a few different gems I've written over the years, with the aim of talking about having fun whilst learning what ruby is capable of. I'd like to showcase things like aspectual for bringing aspect oriented programming to ruby, cherry-pick for when you miss import foo from bar, overload for when you want to really have optional arguments do something different, and more!

1. LRUG February 2024 - fell sunderland - What is Ruby really capable of?
2. What is Ruby really capable of? - Slides

Phlex for a happy developer! #

Martin Tomov:

More than 100 lines files are bad? Not if you have the right tools! Inline your templates, JavaScript, business & controller logic for maximum productivity!

1. LRUG February 2024 - Martin Tomov - Phlex for a happy developer

Be More GARY: How to up your RSpec Game #

Scott Matthewman:

Elevate your RSpec tests by questioning common DRY practices. Enter the GARY method, where strategic repetition enhances test clarity and maintainability. Resist premature refactoring and convoluted logic, leaving yourself with clearer tests that document your code. Go ahead, repeat yourself.

1. LRUG February 2024 - Scott Matthewman - Be more GARY: How to up your RSpec game

Making games with ruby #

Paolo Fabbri:

Learn how the Dragonruby game engine makes game development faster and simpler for everyone, from beginners to pros. Explore its key features, and jumpstart your journey into the world of game creation. Join us to transform your ideas into reality with ease!

1. LRUG February 2024 - Paolo Fabbri - Making games with Ruby

Afterwards #

When the talks come to an end we'll decamp to a local pub for some food, some drinks and some chat with your fellow attendees.

Of course, even though this is the socialising part and seems more informal, please remember that still we consider it to be a part of the meeting and covered by our code of conduct.

Venue & Registration #

Prior to attending you should familiarise yourself with our README paying close attention to the code of conduct which applies to all attendees.

Secure your place #

Hopefully you all remember that physical meetings involve finite space and so to be guaranteed entry you need to register via eventbrite.

Venue #

The address of the venue:

Funding Circle
71 Queen Victoria St
London
EC4V 4AY

See on a map

The venue has a hard limit of 75 people. If you register and realise you can't come, please use eventbrite to give up your place so we can someone else come in your place. We might be able to let in people on the night who haven't registered, but we can't guarantee it.

Posted by Paolo Fabbri on Jan 14, 2024