At Fora Soft, developers don’t just write code; they create solutions that power real-world applications for clients across the globe. From police departments in the U.S. to medical clinics and child protection organizations, their work impacts thousands of people every day.

For our 20th Anniversary series, the development team shared their experiences, challenges, and advice on what it takes to be a skilled, forward-thinking developer.

From First Lines to Complex Systems

Every developer remembers their first project. Some start small, with JavaScript layouts or simple apps. Others dive into ambitious systems – like VALT, a video surveillance platform used by international clients.

One developer recalls, “Work on first projects is always a learning curve. You pick up tools, languages, and habits, but the goal is always the same: solve the problem in front of you.”

Over the years, the team has worked across multiple stacks: PHP, JavaScript, Java, Kotlin, Swift, Python, Go, and even C++. Every project required choosing the right tools for the job – and sometimes learning entirely new ones on the fly.

Pro Tip #1: Don’t worry about knowing everything from the start. Start with what interests you, and let the problems guide your learning.

Tackling the Hardest Problems

The most complex projects often become the most rewarding. Take VALT’s Talkback feature: streaming real-time audio from a web app to cameras, including older models, all while keeping latency minimal. The team rewrote the frontend, implemented specific audio conversion, resampling, and noise reduction, while making backend adjustments. The result? Smooth, reliable audio — and a very happy client.

Another critical improvement was speeding up frontend builds. A 15-minute Webpack build became a near-instant development workflow after migrating to Vite – cutting production build times to around 25 seconds. “It’s amazing what a difference small optimizations make for the whole team’s productivity and mood,” one developer notes.

Pro Tip #2: Small infrastructure changes can have massive impact. Don’t just focus on features – optimize how your team works.

Even quirky integrations, like connecting intercom systems to mobile apps, push the team to think creatively under constraints. “Every unusual project teaches you something new about problem-solving,” one developer adds.

Habits of Exceptional Developers

What separates a great developer from a good one? According to the team:

  • Practice and persistence: The more problems you solve, the faster you grow. Start with what interests you and dig deeper.
  • Think ahead: Even features that seem unnecessary today are often needed tomorrow. Plan for the future.
  • Experiment: New tools, languages, and approaches expand your capabilities and perspective.
  • Analyze solutions: Senior developers evaluate multiple approaches mentally, weighing trade-offs before deciding. Reflect on completed work: “Could this be done differently or better?”
  • Communicate and collaborate: Sharing ideas early and often prevents wasted effort and ensures alignment across teams.

Learning Through Collaboration

Fora Soft’s culture shapes how developers work and grow. Many mention VALT as a standout project because of its real-world impact. “Knowing my code helps real people every day is incredibly rewarding,” a developer notes.

Team members also highlight the collaborative environment. “There’s no chaotic rush. We propose ideas freely, focus on complex problems, and support each other,” one says. “Even on vacation, I sometimes miss working with the team – that tells you how much the people matter.”

Pro Tip #3: Seek out colleagues who challenge and inspire you. The right team accelerates your growth faster than any solo project.

The Human Side of Coding

Despite all the technical challenges, the team never forgets the human element. Every bug fixed, every latency reduced, every interface optimized is ultimately for real users. “We don’t just build software,” one developer emphasizes. “We build systems that work in the real world – for real people, under real constraints.”

Pro Tip #4: Code isn’t just syntax. Think about who’s using it and why. Empathy is as important as skill.

The Impact of Thoughtful Development

Here’s what careful, forward-thinking development brings:

  • Reliable, stable systems that perform in production.
  • Faster builds, smarter workflows, and optimized processes.
  • Features that anticipate user needs, not just fulfill immediate requests.
  • A team that learns from every project, growing stronger with each challenge.

The takeaway? Development isn’t about ticking off tasks. It’s about building solutions that truly matter – for users, for the team, and for the wider world.

🚀 If you choose us, you don’t just get a vendor. You get a dedicated partner – a team that will put heart, creativity, and relentless energy into your project.

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