Joanna Lamch

Meet CzechReady! Over the past two months, my friend Dan Glushenkov and I have been building CzechReady — through long hours after work, sleepless nights, endless technical decisions, and more than a few heated debates about what would actually help people prepare for the Czech A2 exam. CzechReady is an AI-powered platform for preparing for the Czech A2 exam. From the outside, it may look like a simple exam trainer. Inside, it turned into a much more complex product: full timed mock exams covering reading, listening, writing, and speaking, plus progress tracking, content generation, AI evaluation, payments, and a lot of edge cases. A few technical details behind it: - Users can write by hand, scan a QR code, take a photo on their phone, and the system recognizes the handwriting before sending it for evaluation. - Speaking is not one generic “AI chat” flow. A monologue, fixed examiner questions, role-play dialog, and negotiation task all need different logic. - We combined different AI services and models from OpenAI and Azure, choosing the right tool for each task: evaluation, transcription, speech synthesis, pronunciation scoring, and real-time voice interaction. - The mock exam flow persists progress, lets the user leave and resume an unfinished exam, and only consumes the paid exam credit when the attempt is actually ready to be counted. - Everything is evaluated with A2-level expectations in mind, so feedback stays useful for the actual exam rather than drifting into generic “language correction”. The first 24 hours after launch were honestly surprising: a huge spike in visits, many registrations, and a lot of messages. It confirmed something we suspected: this niche is still very underserved. The honest part: conversion to paid subscriptions and mock exams is not yet where we want it to be. But that’s also the interesting part of building a real product. There is always something to improve: trust, positioning, onboarding, pricing, messaging, and partnerships. If you have ideas on how to communicate the value better, I’d be happy to hear them. And if you run a language school, teach Czech, or work with foreigners preparing for permanent residence or citizenship in Czechia, I’d love to talk. Also, for people who read this far: we’ll give you a discount for CzechReady. Just send me a DM.

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Over the past months I’ve been building little tools “for myself” - things that solve my real everyday problems, give me an excuse to play with new tech, and help me understand what open-source development feels like from the inside. And honestly… it’s just fun 😄 Here are the first two projects I’ve published on GitHub: https://lnkd.in/eYryPwiP A container image that integrates Viessmann boilers with MQTT. It runs vcontrold as a TCP service and a lightweight .NET worker that periodically reads the configured boiler parameters and publishes them to an MQTT broker (via vcontrold). It can also subscribe to a command topic and execute incoming requests. Why did I build it? Because I have a Viessmann boiler at home, and I want it to be part of my automation setup. If there is Home Assistant in the house, the boiler shouldn’t be an exception. 🙂 https://lnkd.in/eb7-4Tit A .NET command-line tool that batch-processes audio files in a folder and prepends a spoken label (based on the file name) to each file. It works with either the built-in Windows speech engine or the cross-platform Piper TTS and uses ffmpeg under the hood to glue everything together. Why this tool exists: I’ve been swimming a lot lately, listening to audiobooks with waterproof headphones. Unfortunately, those headphones don’t always play chapters in the correct order. So now when a chapter starts, I hear “Chapter 12” and immediately know whether I’m in the right place or not. A tiny tool, but it saves me frustration every single swim. If any of these projects becomes useful to someone else - amazing. If not, that’s totally fine too, because I’m already enjoying the process.

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After working in several enterprise environments, one thing is clear to me: .NET remains a very strong choice for building reliable, large-scale systems. In regulated and business-critical platforms — where stability, security, and long-term maintainability matter — .NET provides a mature and predictable ecosystem: • Strong support for clean and layered architectures   • Excellent performance for backend and API-driven systems   • Seamless integration with cloud platforms and data tools   • A long-term, backward-compatible evolution strategy  I currently work on backend services and REST APIs for compliance-focused platforms, where correctness, traceability, and reliability are essential. In these contexts, using proven technologies is not a limitation — it’s a requirement. For me, .NET is not about trends. It’s about engineering software that can be trusted in production for years. #dotnet #csharp #backend #softwareengineering #enterprise #europe #germany

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🚀 New Series Alert: Global IT Salary Deep Dives! We are kicking off a brand-new series of articles exploring exactly what tech professionals are earning around the world. To start things off, we are focusing on the .NET ecosystem. Location plays a massive role in compensation, but how does your local market stack up against the global competition? We’ve broken down the data to show what .NET professionals are earning by country. Whether you are looking to relocate, negotiate a raise, or hire top talent, these insights are crucial. 👇 Read the first article in the series here: https://lnkd.in/dt62ZzDX #DotNet #DeveloperSalary #TechSeries #SoftwareEngineering #GlobalTech #Optiveum #Recruitment

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#Java 25 is the upcoming release with long-term support and the natural next step for projects currently on Java 21. A lot happened in two years: - New language and API changes - Security and perfomance improvements - Removals and small changes that require some work during the upgrade. Java’s youtube channel covers all that in their #RoadTo25 video series: https://lnkd.in/gk8BwH_X

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When you start to use ConfigProviders you never look back. Sure, the .ini and .env files of old did their job, but they rarely had a predictable structure. Each developer decided what was relevant and filled config files with whatever they needed

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GraalVM: The Technical Deep-Dive Post Let's dive into a truly groundbreaking use case for GraalVM that is often overlooked: native mobile development. While many see GraalVM as a backend powerhouse, its Ahead-of-Time (AOT) Native Image compilation, in tandem with frameworks like JavaFX and Gluon, offers a direct path to creating high-performance, multi-platform mobile apps. Here's how this powerful synergy works: Write Once, Compile for Many: You develop your application logic in Java/JavaFX, leveraging a mature, robust language ecosystem. AOT Compilation: The native-image tool compiles your entire application, including the JavaFX UI, into a single, platform-specific executable for iOS or Android. This process eliminates the runtime JVM, resulting in a binary that starts instantly and consumes minimal resources. Deploy as a Native App: The final output is a true native app that can be distributed on the App Store and Google Play, delivering the performance and user experience expected from a native application. While challenges like handling dynamic language features (e.g., reflection) exist, the benefits of improved performance and resource efficiency make this a compelling solution for certain mobile development scenarios. It’s a sophisticated approach that combines the best of Java's rich ecosystem with the raw performance of native code. This is a testament to GraalVM's versatility and its potential to redefine application development across the entire stack. #GraalVM #NativeImage #MobileDevelopment #Java #JavaFX #Gluon #SoftwareArchitecture #TechTrends

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🐧 Things I Learned After Speaking at My First Big International Conference 🐧 As you know, I spoke at Dotnet Developer Days 2025 in Warsaw, Poland. In this article, I reflect on what went well and what did not, on the balance between luck and preparation, and on several other things that I have to keep in mind for the next international conference. From practical mishaps to mindset shifts, I break down the most valuable lessons learned - perfect for anyone preparing for their first (or next!) international talk. Here are 5 reasons you should check it out: 1️⃣ Real-life tips for handling unexpected tech issues (like adapters and chargers!) 2️⃣ How to adapt your presentation for any room or audience size 3️⃣ Lessons on delivering talks in a non-native language—and how to help your brain adjust 4️⃣ Why tailoring your session to the time slot and audience matters 5️⃣ The benefits of staying a few extra days in the host city (and how to ask!) If you’re curious about the behind-the-scenes of public speaking, or want to avoid common pitfalls at your next tech event, this article is for you! Give it a read and let me know your thoughts in the comments—I’d love to hear your own conference stories or tips! #PublicSpeaking #TechConference #CareerGrowth #DotNet #DeveloperLife #SoftSkills #ConferenceSpeaker Read the full article in the first comment!

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The fastest way to figure out if a CMS works for your team is to watch someone use it. Jakub Jabłoński, our Lead Architect, recorded a getting-started walkthrough of MDCMS: why we built it, and how it works end-to-end. See how to migrate your existing Markdown/MDX projects and edit content through Visual Studio. Watch the video on YouTube → https://lnkd.in/d_5UXhs4

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I wrote a blog post about the odd and confusing consequences of using the same syntax for two very different kinds of nullability in C#, nullable value types and nullable reference types. As usual, link in the comments because LinkedIn hates the web.

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The .NET Skill Gap in 2026: Legacy vs. Modern Cloud-Native Development The .NET ecosystem isn't dying, it's evolving. And developers who understand this distinction will thrive in 2026. The Reality Check Enterprise adoption of .NET continues to grow, with major organizations upgrading to .NET 10 for performance improvements and cloud-native capabilities. However, there's a critical disconnect: while demand for modern .NET developers is skyrocketing, the market is flooded with developers trained on legacy patterns.​ What the Market Actually Wants Three shifts are reshaping 2026 .NET careers: Cloud-Native Architecture Companies need developers fluent in microservices, Kubernetes, Docker, and Azure/AWS, not monolithic application builders. AI Integration – With Semantic Kernel maturity, C# has become essential in the AI-agent development space. This is an untapped competitive advantage. Enterprise Modernization – Finance, Healthcare, and Tech sectors are actively migrating legacy systems to .NET Core. They need architects who understand both old and new patterns. The Talent Gap Here's the uncomfortable truth: there are far more job openings for cloud-native .NET developers than qualified candidates. Meanwhile, developers clinging to traditional monolithic approaches face stagnation. Your 2026 Playbook Master microservices architecture – DDD, CQRS, Event Sourcing Go cloud-native – Azure AKS, Docker, Kubernetes, Infrastructure as Code Explore AI integration – Semantic Kernel, LLM integration with C# Lead, don't just code – Technical mentorship is now a competitive differentiator. The Bottom Line .NET isn't going anywhere. But your current skill set might be if you don't evolve. The question isn't whether .NET survives, it's whether you'll be the developer companies are actively hunting for in 2026. The future belongs to developers who build scalable, cloud-native systems. Are you one of them? #DotNet #DotNetDeveloper #ModernDotNet #DevOps #AzureDevOps #MicrosoftAgentFramework #AIInDevelopment #TechTrends2026 #SoftwareEngineering

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Success metrics for Platform Engineering by Sergiu Petean (Allianz). It's not easy to convince management of the value that properly implemented Platform Engineering provides, and these metrics seem to address that problem. Full talk: https://lnkd.in/dDtbBur8

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👋 Hi everyone, We’ve updated the Greengage DB roadmap and outlined the main directions for the product’s development in the upcoming phases. Keep in mind that the roadmap doesn’t include everything we’re currently working on - some features still require additional research and will be added later. You can always check out the latest version of the Greengage DB roadmap on the project website - https://lnkd.in/ehaCaYHt . 🚀 P.S. We’re also planning to ship some significant updates this week - stay tuned for more details - https://lnkd.in/eA7WcYBU. Greengage DB Team - https://lnkd.in/eJhv5Uyp #GreengageDB #OpenSource #PostgreSQL #Greenplum #SoftwareEngineering #Database #BigData #ProductRoadmap

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You cannot design complexity away. You can only choose who pays for it. One of the more useful reminders from 🐜Karol Skrzymowski and Philipp Kostyra dry run of Strategic Integration Design with DDD was Tesler’s Law: you cannot eliminate inherent complexity, only decide where it will live. That matters in integration architecture. Every time we design a “lightweight” interface, bypass coordination, or leave semantics implicit, we are not making complexity disappear. We are usually pushing it downstream - to consuming teams, to operations, or straight into the user journey. That is how the delivery gap grows. Business sees a connected process. IT delivers a set of locally optimized interfaces. The missing complexity does not stay missing for long. It comes back as unstable dependencies, compensating logic, user workarounds, and eventually a ceiling on change. The goal, then, is not simplification at any cost. It is managed complexity. I find this a useful distinction: complexity is often unavoidable. but confusion is optional. Good integration design accepts the real coordination burden and puts it where it can be managed explicitly - through clear interaction models, message semantics, ownership, and infrastructure that reduces ambiguity across the landscape. Otherwise every application ends up negotiating the ecosystem on its own. That may look lean at first. It rarely stays that way. Disclosure: I was granted free access to the following training in exchange for my honest professional review - https://lnkd.in/d49Sxd76 #integration #enterprisearchitecture #complexity #BridgingTheGap #DDDAcademy #StrategicIntegrationDesign

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What connects everyday mistakes with statistical tests? The same thing that truly drives quality: reflection and data. On one side – the unpredictability of real work: pressure-driven decisions, fatigue, wrong assumptions. On the other – metrics, graphs, and statistical analysis that help us understand what went wrong (or right). Quality isn't just the outcome of a test. It's a mindset, a process, and the ability to learn. At this event, we’ll explore QA not as a checklist, but as a discipline rooted in both experience and data-driven thinking. If you're looking for QA with depth – not just coverage – this meetup is for you.

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When it comes to .NET skills: Being a Swiss Army knife developer is no longer optional in 2026. What all tools available as blade.

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You don't need to Vibe Code. You can Vibe engineer (build guardrails so your agent don't go crazy and also create a validator. NVIDIA has. both, but you can build your own: with AI).

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🤓 I saw an article where Allegro thinks they can beat Alza.cz a.s.? I don't really think so. Almost a decade ago, I wrote my "famous" 75-page breakdown of why Alza won the Czech/Slovak e-commerce war. Every year since, someone new shows up with "better logistics," or "more products" or "AI-powered recommendations." They all miss the point. Alza doesn't just win because of obvious stuff like fast delivery, PPCs, large product catalogue, or nice design. What Alza still does better than anyone? Small, systematic improvements to customer experience across every touchpoint: - Scarcity that's actually REAL — night delivery creates urgency without fake countdown timers - Reviews designed to convert — strategic architecture, not just pretty stars - Reduced brain strain everywhere — category naming, positioning, the whole flow - Loyalty that hits identity — not "save 10%" discount spam - Product categories positioned to trigger "pick the middle option" bias - Pricing structured so €500 feels like a steal next to €800 - Checkout asking 3 questions at the time, instead of 15 — zero decision fatigue - SEO built on helping first, ranking second — reciprocity at scale They went from startup to billion-dollar company not by optimizing features, but by architecting complete behavioral systems that work WITH human psychology, not against it. AI makes the obvious stuff table stakes now. Nice UI, 2-day shipping, product photos — everyone can do that. What still wins? Systematic behavioral architecture across the entire customer journey. I documented 47 specific tactics Alza uses in that original analysis. Most companies implement maybe 3-4. The ones who go deeper? Try, and you will see the epic results for yourself. --- You don't have to "Comment Alza" - Full 75-page breakdown in the comments. 47 tactics you can swipe.

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