# Eileen M. Uchitelle: Upgrading Ruby on Rails At Github And How To Stay Updated

EP-006 | May 20, 2019 | 34:04



Topics: Legacy Code, Refactoring, Open Source


Robby speaks with Eileen M. Uchitelle, Senior Software Engineer at Github and member of the Rails Core Team. You'll hear about Eileen's work upgrading Github from Rails 3.2 to 5.2, how Github prioritized the upgrade, and why teams should get ahead and upgrade to Rails 6.



## Guest

**Eileen M. Uchitelle** — Senior Staff Engineer, Shopify

Ruby on Rails Core Team member focused on performance, scalability, and database improvements. A key contributor to Rails framework development.



## Show Notes

Robby speaks with Eileen M. Uchitelle, Senior Software Engineer at Github and member of the Rails Core Team. You'll hear about Eileen's work upgrading Github from Rails 3.2 to 5.2, how Github prioritized the upgrade, and why teams should get ahead and upgrade to Rails 6.

## Helpful links

- [Follow Eileen](https://twitter.com/eileencodes) on Twitter
- [Upgrading GitHub from Rails 3.2 to 5.2](https://github.blog/2018-09-28-upgrading-github-from-rails-3-2-to-5-2/)
- [Eileen's blog](https://eileencodes.com/)
- [The Success of Open Source](https://www.amazon.com/Success-Open-Source-Steven-Weber/dp/0674018583) by Steven Weber

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## Frequently Asked Questions


### How does Eileen Uchitelle approach Rails upgrades?

Eileen recommends staying as close to the latest version as possible by upgrading frequently in small increments. She emphasizes the importance of a strong test suite and deprecation warnings as guides for what needs to change.


### What challenges does Eileen Uchitelle highlight in framework upgrades?

Eileen discusses how large applications accumulate custom patches and monkey-patches that make upgrades harder. She recommends contributing fixes upstream and reducing custom modifications to make future upgrades smoother.


### What is Eileen Uchitelle's advice for maintaining open source dependencies?

Eileen suggests actively participating in the open source projects you depend on. Contributing bug reports, patches, and staying engaged with the community helps ensure the tools you rely on continue to meet your needs.





## Transcript