A question that comes up every once in a while is: can we use Test Driven Development (TDD) on existing code? And if not, is TDD useful on existing code? And since most developers work with already existing code, is TDD useful at all? Alex answers this question. tl;dr: you can’t use TDD “by the […]
Can You TDD on Existing Code? Read More »
The 2024 InfoQ Software Architecture Trends Report just got published, so it’s time to react to it. Links:
React to InfoQ Software Architecture Trends Report 2024 Read More »
Are design patterns outdated? Aren’t they old? Aren’t they already part of our languages? These questions come up again and again, and the conversation simply takes place at the wrong level of analysis. Watch to see why and how design patterns would be useful.
Are design patterns outdated? Read More »
We start with some short commentary on a few things that piqued Alex’ interest, and then we move to the main topic: the xz backdoor. For a few years, a malicious actor managed to gain enough credibility in the xz / libxzma project to gain maintainer status, which they then used to try and push
xz Backdoor and Other News Read More »
A recent white paper from Google advocates for the replacement of microservices with a modular monolith that has strong module boundaries and a smart runtime able to run the components in a distributed environment. Is this a good idea? Alex explores the benefits, downsides, and potential problems that would come up from such a model.
Modular Monolith + Smart Runtime > µservices? Read More »
Productivity metrics strike back! A recent article from martinfowler.com details a method of measuring productivity with qualitative metrics instead of quantitative ones. Could this be a viable method? Watch this video to find out! (Spoiler alert: it seems generally ok, but it might miss a few things). Links:
Qualitative Metrics for Developer Productivity? Read More »
Herb Sutter has published a few days ago the first deep analysis of the C++ language problems related to security and safety, following the NSA, NIST, and White House recommendations to switch to memory safe languages. Alex reacts to this analysis and connects it to the larger trend of improving cyber security. Links:
Herb Sutter on C++ Safety Read More »
The construction metaphor for software development has outlived its usefulness, and it’s time to reframe software design by reconnecting it to its similar disciplines from other domains. In this video, Alex offers a possible reframing and goes in depth on why and how UX laws apply to software design. Links:
Reframing Software Design Read More »
An essay by Alex Bolboaca, 1 March 2024 Listen to the essay on YouTube, or read it below the embedded video. This week, I followed closely the reactions to the White House recommendation for memory-safe programming languages. To my disappointment, many programmers took up to social media to poke fun, instead of admitting our collective
Programmers, Take Responsibility Read More »
Just out of White House, we got a press release and an attached report that recommends memory safe programming languages for new products, and switching legacy code bases to memory safe programming languages. The text of the report excludes C and C++ explicitly. Alex read the first part of the report and offers a quick
White House Recommends Memory Safe Languages Read More »
