APPropriate Behaviour
The book about all the things software writers do that aren't writing software.
FSF
Category Archives: architecture of sorts
It’s about the thinking
At some point in the past, programmers used to recommend drawing flowcharts before you start coding. Then they recommended creating CRC cards, or acting through how the turtle will behave, or writing failing tests, or getting the types to match … Continue reading
Head of Architecture
My current job title is Head of Architecture, though the word “architecture” means different things to different people in the world of software. So what does it mean to me, what do I do when I’m playing Head of Architecture? … Continue reading
Posted in architecture of sorts
3 Comments
Bottom-up teaching
We’re told that the core idea in computer programming is problem-solving. That one of the benefits of learning about computer programming (one that is not universally accepted) is gaining the skill of problem decomposition. If you look at real teaching … Continue reading
Posted in academia, architecture of sorts, edjercashun
Leave a comment
Choose boring employers
Amusingly, my previous post choose boring employees was shared to hacker news under the off-by-one erroneous title choose boring employers. That seemed funny enough to run with, but what does it mean to choose boring employers? One interpretation is that … Continue reading
Posted in architecture of sorts, Business
Leave a comment
Choose boring employees
An idea I’ve heard from many directions recently is that “we” (whoever they are) “need to be on the latest tech stack in order to attract developers”. And yes, you do attract developers that way. Developers who want to be … Continue reading
Posted in architecture of sorts, Business
1 Comment
In which GNUstep confuses and ultimately disappoints
I’m not the most hardcore of GNUstep people, but I’m certainly somewhat invested. I’ve been building apps, lurking in lists, and contributing code on and off for around 13 years, including a job working with a few of the maintainers. … Continue reading
Posted in architecture of sorts, gnustep, qt
1 Comment
Your build needs to be better
I’ve said it before, build systems are a huge annoyance. If your build is anything other than seemingly instantaneous, it’s costing you severe money. Your developers are probably off reading HN, or writing blog posts about how slow builds cost … Continue reading
Posted in architecture of sorts, code-level, tool-support
Leave a comment
The package management paradox
There was no need to build a package management system since CPAN, and yet npm is the best. Wait, what? Every time a new programming language or framework is released, people seem to decide that: It needs its own package … Continue reading
In which the quantity 1/”booleans per module” is proposed as a software quality metric, and readers are left hanging.
On immutable data structures…?
If you write a scholarly publication and cite another one, what you say about it depends on its mutability. An article or a book can be cited by saying “this publication I’m identifying here says this”. Maybe you have to … Continue reading
Posted in academia, architecture of sorts
Leave a comment
