Twelve Benefits of Writing Unit Tests First
Why do programmers hate writing unit tests? Why do they hate even more writing unit tests before coding? You don’t have to answer. I’ve already heard the excuses. These are rhetorical questions. I have a theory, however, what the real reasons are.
Thirty Days to Better Software
Reflective Improvement is number 2 of Alistair Cockburns 7 properties of successful teams. Of these 7, Alistair says the top 3 are core properties for success. Reflective Improvement is so important, because it gives such a big bang for the buck.
Best Job in America: Software Engineer
According to MONEY Magazine and Salary.com, the best thing to be in America is a software engineer. What’s so great about being a software engineer? It’s the second-fastest growing job title. It’s a highly creative position. It involves cool, cutting-edge technology. It pays decently. There are plenty of places to go once you’re experienced. -TimK
Manual Test-First
Working on a team that’s not yet onto the value of unit testing, I frequently encounter what Michael Feathers calls “legacy code.” It is not unit-tested and can’t be. That doesn’t mean I need to forget test-first.
James Shore on Software Quality
Quality is one of those ineffable abstractions. Ask ten people, “What is good design?” Get twenty answers. But Jim Shore’s answer is actually worth something. A good software design minimizes the time required to create, modify, and maintain the software while achieving acceptable run-time performance. This definition has some pretty obvious, radical, and cool implications. […]
Break Your Process Addiction
How many times have you heard someone say—or maybe you’ve even said it yourself— “Yeah, it’s a hack. But we don’t have time to do it right.” Frankly, this one goes in the same category as popular rubbish like: