APPropriate Behaviour
The book about all the things software writers do that aren't writing software.
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Author Archives: Graham
Great Documentation, Great Software
A paraphrased conversation, the other day, between me and a customer of one of my customers: Me: Are you experienced at working with my customer’s developer APIs? Them: I always feel like a newbie, because there’s so much stuff. But … Continue reading
Posted in architecture of sorts, documentation
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Solving the underlying problem
As a software engineer, it’s easy to get work engineering software. Well, maybe not easy, but relatively so: that is the kind of work that comes along most. The kind of work that people are confident I can do. That … Continue reading
Posted in Business
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Maybe you are going to need it
In the beginning, there was the green field. The lead developer, who may have been the only developer, agreed with the product owner (or “the other member of the company” as they were known) what they would build for the … Continue reading
Posted in architecture of sorts
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Experts around the table
One of the principles behind the manifesto for Agile software development says: Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project. I don’t like this language. It sets up the distinction between “engineering” and “the business”, which is … Continue reading
Posted in agile
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On the efficient allocation of scarce resources with alternative uses
Most of what I know about “the economy” is outdated (Adam Smith, Karl Marx, John Maynard Keynes) or incorrect (the news) so I decided to read a textbook. Basic Economics, 5th Edition by Thomas Sowell is clear, modern, and generally … Continue reading
Posted in economics
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My first rails app
I know, right? I first learned how to rails back when Rails 3 was new, but didn’t end up using it (the backend of the project I was working on was indeed written in Rails, but by other people). Then … Continue reading
Posted in ruby
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My changing relationship with books
My Delicious Library collection just hit 1,000 books. That’s not so big, it’s only a fraction of the books I’ve read in my life. I only started cataloguing my books a few years ago. What is alarming about that is … Continue reading
Posted in books
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The challenges of teaching software engineering
I’ve just finished teaching a four-day course introducing software engineering for the first time. My plan is to refine the course (I’m teaching it again in October), and it will eventually become the basis for doctoral training programmes in research … Continue reading
Posted in academia, edjercashun
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Falsehoods programmers who write “falsehoods programmers believe” articles believe about programmers who read “falsehoods programmers believe” articles
For reasons that will become clear, I can’t structure this article as a “falsehoods programmers believe” article, much as that would add to the effect. There are plenty of such articles in the world, so turn to your favourite search … Continue reading
Posted in whatevs
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Longer, fuller stacks
Thinks to self: OK, this “full-stack” project is going to be fairly complex. I need: a database. I don’t need it yet, I’ll defer that. a thing that runs on the server, listens for HTTP requests from a browser, builds … Continue reading
Posted in architecture of sorts
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