I’m Robin Penea⌗

I’m a passionated software engineer.

To me, software development is a craft. It has to be practiced, again and again. Through trial and error, it improves. With theoretical knowledge, the craft deepens.

I’ve been doing it for more than 15 years, and I love it. I worked in small startups and huge corporations. The constraints evolve, but the fundamentals stay the same:

  • Understand the technical stack: where does it come from?
  • Connect with the people: where do they want to go from here?

Tech⌗

I’m the most proficient⌗

  • Android / Kotlin / Flutter — More than 5 years working full-time on the Android OS and created or maintained dozens of applications ;
  • Python / Django — Started in 2010 with an entreprise oriented Dropbox-like product, I always integrated DevOps (Linux, Docker, Ansible, CI) as a natural extension of my backend development ;
  • C++ / Qt — My attraction to low level graphics with OpenGL / Shaders naturally blended with C++. The encounter with Qt solidified my relationship with this language. It gave birth to a 525 pages book and multiple projects.

I’m ramping up my skills⌗

  • Language Design — Designing my own interpreter and then compiler.
  • Clojure — because one needs to study a different thought process to see his craft with new eyes ;
  • Hypermedia websites — HTMX got me fired up about REST, HATEOAS, and alternative ways of designing websites

Last Technical Books⌗

  • Hypermedia systems — Carson Gross
  • High Performance Browser Networking — Ila Grigorik
  • Crafting Interpreters — Robert Nystrom
  • Writing A Compiler In Go — Thorsten Ball
  • Writing An Interpreter In Go — Thorsten Ball
  • Designing Data-Intensive Applications — Martin Kleppmann
  • Getting Clojure — Russ Olsen
  • Clojure for the Brave and True — Daniel Higginbotham
  • Growing Object-Oriented Software, Guided by Tests — Steve Freeman & Nat Pryce
 

Gryt is my company⌗

It embodies how I want to practice my craft: with dedication and attention.

Gryt stems from the English word — Grit. It is the combination of perseverance and motivation for a long term goal.

Goal⌗

My goal with Gryt is to strive for quality. There’s no such thing as a perfect product. But within the constraints, it’s possible to achieve the best possible product.

Values⌗

This goal can only be achieved with practical values. Only then, we’re able to measure up our decisions against this long term goal. I founded Gryt with the following principles:

  • Resilience — Learning, Working and Living is hard. It’s a bumpy road and to play the long game, I have to show a lot of grit.
  • Curiosity — An open mind unveils unexpected new paths. The sheer joy to learn new things and the hunger the question my preconceptions ;
  • Quality — There’s no free lunch. My customers feel if the product was crafted with care. Quality attracts quality and appreciation ;