Exploring Extreme Programming
Functional languages often have immutable data types – you can’t change an object once you’ve created it, though you can include it as part of other objects. Immutable objects are easier to reason about, and prevent errors where two parts Continue reading Queues from Stacks: Functional Data Types
Refactoring improves the design of code without changing its observable behavior. But what is observable behavior? We’ll look at how language semantics affect that. When you devise new refactorings, you have to take semantics into account. The Simple View is Continue reading Refactoring and Programming Language Semantics
Some teams doing incremental development can release whenever any new capability is ready. But what can you do when you need to control when capabilities are available? Consider the Backroom/Frontroom approach. The term “Backroom/FrontRoom” comes from the Gilb’s book Competitive Continue reading Backroom/Frontroom to Smooth Releases
Coupling occurs when one part of a system depends on another part. That is, if one part changes, the other must be adjusted too. Lambda expressions can reduce coupling by needing to refer to fewer things. Dependencies on Objects Consider Continue reading Lambda to Reduce Coupling
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