Exploring Extreme Programming
Several mainstream languages have added better support for lambda expressions (including lighter syntax) in the last few years. This can let you define new forms of control structures, and reduce duplication in a different way than say extracting a common Continue reading Lambda for Control Structures, a Refactoring
A user story is a scenario, a description of a (potential) real use of a system. It takes the customer or user perspective, and represents a team’s shared understanding of what the system should do. Because stories take a customer Continue reading What Is a User Story?
You Need a Budget, by Jesse Mecham. 2017. “YNAB” is a system (with an app) for managing your money. It’s built around four rules: I can’t say I’ve adopted this system (nor can I say that about any single personal Continue reading Review: You Need a Budget
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power, by Shoshana Zuboff, 2019. This book is the most significant book I’ve read in a while. It outlines the dark side of modern Continue reading Review: The Age of Surveillance Capitalism
I spent last weekend at a small retreat led by Don Pedi, an expert in traditional fiddle tunes played on mountain dulcimer. (See References.) We spent about three days doing a little tai chi, learning traditional tunes, asking questions, jamming, Continue reading Learning with an Expert
Last time (“Extracting” in References), we looked at why you’d use parameterized tests, to reduce duplication, improve clarity, and improve test quality. This time we’ll look at an example parameterized test in three languages: Java, Kotlin, and Swift. Java Example Continue reading Example Parameterized Tests: Java, Kotlin, and Swift
Duplication across tests may not be as harmful as duplication in production code, but a parameterized unit test can reduce duplication and help us create better tests. Judging Tests – The Pause Spotting duplication in tests is like spotting it Continue reading Extracting Parameterized Unit Tests
Conversations about user stories focus on the behavior of a system, without regard for time, memory, etc. Other times, we have real-world constraints – quality attributes – that may not fit comfortably as stories: performance, memory, extensibility, etc. Behaviors are Continue reading User Stories and Quality Attributes
Automated refactoring tools are great, but sometimes the tool doesn’t make the best choice. We can often nudge the tool to a better choice. Why Bother? Why bother nudging? Couldn’t you do the refactoring manually just as quickly? You could Continue reading Refactoring: Forcing the Right Extract Method
Nested structures are challenging to read; a pipeline is usually easier to read and think about. Nested structures have that “arrow of doom” feeling, where you work your way in multiple levels then out. It’s hard to tell what’s being Continue reading Nested Loops to Functional Pipeline