Best of Technically 2023
A roundup of 2023's Technically posts and what to look for next year.
(Note: I tried to send this out before 2024, but ran into DNS issues, which I will write about at a time forthcoming).
2023 was the year that writers like me started getting automated out of business by AI a really great year for your esteemed Technically author. I started playing drums in a Jazz band, ran the New York Marathon, and cooked and stirred some wild stuff.
But most importantly, it was another strong year for learning more about software engineering (that's right).
It's hard to believe that I started this thing 4 (!) years ago on a whim. Thank you to all of you for supporting my work: subscribing, reading, leaving comments, getting outraged, and all of the other little ways that this community has participated in 2023.
So without further ado, here is the best of 2023 in Technically.
2023 Technically Post Roundup
I’ve got so much more exciting stuff planned for next year, and I’m going to give you a sneak peek. But first: let’s look at the top posts that you’ve read this year.
Let’s start with some superlatives:
Most popular: The Beginner's Guide to Databases
Most obscure: That's right, we did a crypto post.
Most in depth: Technically's first two-parter: what is Low Code and what are people doing with it
Most practical: 5 models that aren't ChatGPT and how to use them
We also released Learning Tracks this year, the best way to get started on learning more about software engineering. Learning tracks organize all of this nice Technically content into easily digestible sequences that tell you what to read and what you need to know.
What do you even do?
This year, Technically broke down 5 new products and what they do:
Stay tuned for next year, because we've got DigitalOcean, Sentry, Zapier, Snyk, and Alteryx in the works.
In too deep
We went into serious depth on a few topics:
And did basic explainers on 9 new pieces of tech:
The AI thing is definitely happening
An unexpected theme of this year: AI. We covered a bunch of interesting topics around ML and AI:
The train doesn't seem to be stopping any time soon, so expect more content about AI next year. What kinds of things would you want to read?
Get your questions answered!
In 2022, we started doing a Technically mailbag sort of thing called Ask Technically, where you can ask questions and get em answered. This year, we did a lot more. Subscribers asked tons of interesting questions, like:
If you have any questions of your own, please send them my way by responding to this email!
2024 sneak peek
We’ve got some exciting stuff coming your way in 2024. Here’s a sneak peek:
The Excel User's Guide to Databases
Databases are one of the most important pieces of technology your engineers work with, and also the hardest to understand. Keep your eyes out for a multi-part series about how they work and terms you've been wondering about like migrations and schemas.
Getting more in depth about AI
Technically will not because a newsletter about AI. There are about 1,000 of those. But, we will be covering more about how it works and how your engineers are using it. Any specific topics in AI you want to see? Reply to this email with suggestions.
News and roundups
Subscribers have been asking for more content breaking down what’s going on in the news as it relates to software and software engineering. We’ll be doing more Technically Dispatches that analyze important happenings in technical news (e.g. the LinkedIn A/B testing fiasco).
Ideas for new formats or types of posts? Just reply and let me know.
Thanks again for all of your support. See you in 2024 😉
– Justin