Creating an MPV (Minimum Viable Product) is a big deal in "startup land". But what are they, exactly? How do they differ from a normal proof-of-concept or technical prototype, and are they a useful part of the development cycle? MVP is an oft-abused term, but why do people insist on skipping the "viable" part? What should you bear in mind when creating a genuinely useful MVP of your own? Find out all this and more in this week's fortuitous instalment of A Question of Code. Mentioned in this episode:<ul>
<li><a href="https://futuresync.co.uk/">Future Sync conference</a></li>
<li>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cult">Cargo Cult</a> on Wikipedia</li>
<li>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Turk">Mechanical Turk</a> on Wikipedia</li>
<li>
<a href="https://swapi.co/">SWAPI</a> (the Star Wars API)</li>
</ul>

52: What gear do you use?

A newbie coder and a seasoned veteran discuss the questions that always come up when someone begins learning to code.

Ed is looking at getting a career in programming and has been learning to code for just over a year. During this time he’s been building up a stack of questions that keep coming up from other newbie coders. Luckily, he’s got someone he can ask for help: Tom. Tom’s a seasoned coder, having worked in the industry for a few years now and has all the answers Ed needs, or does he?