johnsy.com
Pete Johns
Human being; just like you. He writes from Melbourne about software leadership, reliable systems, and building things that last, and he would rather publish here than chase engagement on social feeds. parkrun (volunteer, runner, ambassador) gets him outside; expect candour, craft, and the occasional grumble when the tech stack misbehaves. Moreover he doesn't like talking about himself in the third-person.
August 2026
September 2026
Top Words
- parkrun
- event
- conquer
- cancer
- hour
All posts (31)
Nine weeks ago I returned to work, as planned, after a twelve-month career break. People have been asking how it feels, so this is both a public answer and a note for Future Pete. How do I feel about the career break being over? When asked, the break has been easy to describe as one of the best things I have ever...
It’s been a while since my last parkrun post. Today I was down the creek at Kirkdale Reserve parkrun for my twelfth finish there. That puts me a step closer to lifting my p-index to 12, the goal I set out earlier in the year. Over the last four months I’ve been chipping away at the other events that sat between me...
In my last post I wrote about how less code is better. That still holds. I also still find software valuable, and enjoy creating it, when I cannot find an existing solution that meets my needs. It is especially rewarding when I see others find it useful too. This week two parkrun Run Directors told me they have...
It has been interesting going back to work and getting up to speed with my new team’s systems, some of which are third-party and others are Very Much Invented Here. I find myself thinking about this quotation a lot: It seems that perfection is attained not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing...
In December I wrote Forty-two about being forty-two percent of the way through my career break. Time has flown since then. Today the progress bar reads one hundred percent. What I said I would do When I announced the break in May last year, the plan was straightforward: a seven-week trip through the UK (with many...
“Why don’t you use WhatsApp?” The short answer is privacy. I should be upfront: I do still have a WhatsApp account. Kids’ sports teams use it to coordinate with parents, and I check those groups when necessary. The app is hidden from my phone’s home screen, notifications are off, and WhatsApp does not have access to...
I had a strange experience this morning. After having our barcodes scanned at Diamond Creek parkrun’s annual Pride event, my friend and I headed straight to D’s athletics event. As we were talking, one of the organisers tapped my friend on the shoulder and asked her to help with what was already under way. I said...
When I was doing a lot of Ruby-on-Rails development, I really liked having rbenv to manage which version of Ruby a project was using. I also really liked Scripts to Rule Them All: predictable entrypoints like script/setup and script/server so anyone cloning the repo could get started without memorising...
Of all the FIFA World Cups I’ve not cared about, this is the one I have not cared about the most. -- Pete Johns (/piːt ʤɒnz/ - he/him/his)Thank you for using Atom. You're awesome.
Yesterday I completed my third and final scheduled hour of the Conquer Cancer Australia relay. I say “scheduled” as from time to time people drop out, so I may drop in and do a fourth hour, if needed. Having done a few hours now, I am familiar with the process and am able to jump in if needed, especially during the...
Today marks two significant (to me) anniversaries. Coburg parkrun - 16 May 2015 Eleven years ago today I was timekeeper at Coburg parkrun # 1. It was a big monment saying “go” and seeing about a hundred people head off together on Merri Creek Trail for the first time, but I had no big how big and important that...
Our 11-year-old was keen to be a part of the Conquer Cancer Australia World Record attempt, so he was up before me this morning to join the runners and joggers and walkers taking one-hour shifts. He’s not old enough to be registered as a runner, but he was able to join in the fun and run with his Dad. Having...
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