Ben Balter writes about technology leadership, open source, and modern collaboration at scale. His essays blend engineering mindset with management, community building, remote work, and transparent communication—shaped by years of experience at GitHub and in public-sector tech.
175 articles from this blog
A GitHub veteran shares insights on effective remote work, async collaboration, and using open-source workflows for over a decade.
A guide to installing and running the open-source LanguageTool grammar checker locally on macOS for privacy-conscious users.
Applies the Cathedral vs. Bazaar open-source metaphor to people management, comparing top-down control with decentralized, autonomous team styles.
GitHub executive Ben Balter shares insights on effective communication strategies used by engineers at the world's largest software development platform.
Explores how Toyota's 'andon' system for stopping production lines applies to transparent collaboration in modern software development and knowledge work.
Explains how remote work shifts communication to more thoughtful, asynchronous methods like writing and video to improve clarity and team throughput.
Argues that pull requests are a valuable form of documentation, capturing the 'why' and context behind code changes for future developers.
Tips for inclusive scheduling and communication in distributed software teams, focusing on time zones and clear date/time formats.
Advocates for 'async first' communication in tech teams, using meetings only as an escalation point for complex discussions.
A beginner's guide explaining GitHub's core concepts like repositories, issues, and Markdown for professionals in non-technical roles.
A GitHub engineer shares a detailed template for creating an effective extended leave document to ensure smooth work handoffs and business continuity.
Argues that engineering leaders should use software development tools like GitHub issues for management tasks to increase transparency and efficiency.
A guide to creating helpful 404 error pages for Jekyll and GitHub Pages sites using JavaScript to suggest relevant pages based on URL similarity.
Explores the benefits of asynchronous work for remote teams, contrasting it with traditional synchronous workflows and highlighting productivity gains.
Explains why leaders must transparently document decision-making processes and reasoning, using tools like GitHub issues, to scale effectively.
A guide to using GitHub Actions to monitor API responses or web pages for changes and receive automated notifications via SMS or other channels.
A developer details their journey to further automate and secure their home network using Docker, Ansible, and AdGuard Home.
A guide offering practical advice for managing large open source communities, covering automation, governance, and moderation.
Final post in a series on managing open source communities, focusing on moderation strategies like codes of conduct and tiered tools.
Practical advice for establishing and operationalizing governance in mature open source projects, covering ownership, security, and contributor roles.
