It sure has been quite a while since I made my last blog post; I even missed a release log – sorry about that. But why is that? And what have I been up to for the past two to three months? Is it the end of this blog?
Adaptability is a defining trait of mine. I thrive on learning and embracing change. As my wife can attest, my interests are ever-evolving—some change monthly, while others take years to shift.
Looking at my habits, she asked why I had yet to switch wives. (Note: I am not planning a switch )
Smart Home
Four months ago, one of those switches happened. I dove back into Home Automation, which I looked into a few years back during Corona. Still, I did something different: Blogging about Salesforce Commerce Cloud. But the itch didn’t go away and has risen again. If you were someone who looked at my GitHub, you might have noticed a new repository popping up a while ago: https://github.com/taurgis/homebridge-iRobot-v2.
Even though I mostly work in management and architecture at work, the itch to do development work never goes away—and this also provided me with a new way of experimenting with new things.
The result? My ventilation system turns on and off depending on the temperature in the vents and outside, my awnings open based on sunlight readings, I can monitor the electricity usage of my heat pump, my kid’s wake-up light is now fully schedulable via my phone, and so much more… But if you also dabble in smart homes, you probably know it can cause headaches and a lot of debugging. However, the rewards of a fully automated home are worth the effort.
Oh, and for those curious, I use Apple HomeKit, which has been a reliable platform for managing my smart home devices and automation. It also allows me to keep things on my local network, as I am trying to avoid “cloud services” for security purposes.
Bringing React to the Business Manager
Last year, I also started a project which, for now, is branded the “FastForward Business Manager Accelerator” (quite the mouthful, I know) to quickly build modules using React in the Business Manager. This has also taken away much of my time and allowed me to learn React and what it entails.
When hearing about the new redesign of the Business Manager, this project seemed in jeopardy. Would my hard work still work? But last week, I was happy to confirm that it all still spins and turns how it should, with a few minor adjustments using the Shadow DOM.
Maybe this is a reminder for some people:
- A storybook-powered React component library
- A storybook-powered React hooks library to talk to the Rest of the APIs of SFCC with little effort
- A starter template, just like SiteGenesis, SFRA, and the PWA-Kit, to speed up getting started
- …
Kids getting older
I always wondered why people between their 30s and 40s sometimes disappeared from volunteering and returned some 10 years later. This year, I learned that keeping kids busy takes more time and effort once they pass 3 to 5 years of age 😂
As my kids grow older, I find myself more involved in their activities, from sports to camps, and even the inevitable clean-up duty. This means less time behind the screen, but it’s a sacrifice I’m more than willing to make for their well-being. I’m sure many of you can relate to this juggling act of work and parenting, and the personal sacrifices it often entails.
A lot of work to do in difficult times
The retail and commerce industry has been in a bad spot for the past two years. It has been hit with one surprise after the other, with many people losing their jobs as massive cuts are made within Salesforce, customers, and partners alike. I have seen several brands file for bankruptcy or put up for sale in the past year.
The proof that this is happening is very real, with many available profiles on the market with a vast amount of experience, but combined with companies having to watch their budgets tightly and becoming unable to afford the available talent.
Quite a few brands have disappeared from the market, even those that have been around for decades. There is no room for mistakes, making experimentation quite risky for many.
This is something we notice around the world, which also means that I need to focus on the bullseye to ensure that we keep our place in this world—a battle that I am not fighting alone.
So what about the blog?
Rest assured, the blog remains a significant part of my life, albeit currently on a lower priority. I’ve decided to adjust the posting frequency to monthly, but the blog is here to stay, a testament to my unwavering commitment to sharing with you all!
