Software Craftsmanship

See the previous episode here. He has questions. Nevertheless, he has not yet arrived. And you know you have answers. You interrupt your summoning, and sit down. You can continue in another moment. Everything happens for a reason. You just hope the reason is good. N appears right next to you. Hey, what’s up? I'm setting up the auto-scaling configuration of the new project. Nothing huge. Cool. I need some help. He has progressed immensely since the last time you saw him. People are starting to…

You're running late, and not just a little late. You throw your bag under the table and boot up your PC. “Hi! Sorry I’m so late! You say hello to Jeremy, Audrey, and Farid. Audrey says: “Maria came by. She was looking for you.” “Did she say what for?” Hmmm - ‘I’m waiting for an action plan. I don't see anything coming. I'm worried’ “OK” Not OK. This action plan that Maria is waiting for has been spinning in your head for over a week…

The Eye-Brain Law: To a certain extent, mental power can compensate for observational weakness. The Brain-Eye Law: To a certain extent, observational power can compensate for mental weakness. Jerry Weinberg "I received your email. I get what you want to do. But, what's the goal?" Comfortably secured in a state-of-the-art ergonomic seat, and protected by a natural fortification of edible, combustible, destructible, fungible, flexible, securely-fixed, decay-prone, sensitive and transmissible elements, Mazare observes both you and Jeremy. Jeremy answers, "We would like to analyze the lead…

Since practical computation demands that implicit assumptions be brought out into the open, it is no coincidence that computer programmers are attracted to an approach devoted to studying how people make assumptions. -- Gerald Weinberg. number: 4240 date: 08/29/2017 status: in progress type: bug severity: serious submitter: C. COURDEL nature: partial budget carry forward does not work description: I skip the budgeted year, perform a partial carryover, option: without exceeding, I submit the form, nothing happens! Owner : _ Resolution status: _ You've just opened…

The treatment of error as a source of valuable information is precisely what distinguishes the feedback (error-controlled) system from its less capable predecessors. Jerry Weinberg @OlegTxl Direct Message Hi Oleg, can you spare me an hour of your time? ok, around 6pm? ping me (...) ping pong Thanks Oleg. I would like some advice about mob programming for my project at work OK I was given three months to turn the situation around on the app I'm working on situation ==? we have to deliver…

Managers are not confronted with problems that are independent of each other, but with dynamic situations that consist of complex systems of changing problems that interact with each other. I call such situations messes. Problems are extracted from messes by analysis. Managers do not solve problems, they manage messes. Russell Ackoff A chat window opens at the bottom right. Maria: come to see me when you can for 15 minutes today pls. You save your work, answering: I'm coming. You grab something to write with.…

It's all talk until the code runs Ward Cunningham After the waiter finishes combining four small tables, the group sits down and orders food. They start talking about programming. Someone brings up the meaning of the number 42. You start with your main topic. "So yesterday afternoon, I did a mob session with my team in the conference room." Oleg, who often proposes to facilitate Mob Programming, answers. "OK! How did that go? "Not very well, actually." You caught the group's attention. "I'll spare you…

Jeremy arrives first, he settles in near the projector and takes a sandwich out of his brown paper lunch bag. "So if I understand correctly, you propose that we spend the lunch break on the XXL code." "Yes. But just experimenting, mind you. It's a trial." "Don't bother justifying, I am joking." Farid and Audrey now show up and take a seat. Farid asks, "Could you remind us what you mean by Mob Programming? I forgot." "Rather than trying to explain it, I suggest we…

You are late, but it is just getting started. You slip into your chair as quietly as you can. Hardly unnoticed, because the person who is standing near the projector calls you out, asks your name, and explains to you the purpose of tonight's exercise. "We are doing a mob, using TDD, using the Bowling Score kata. That guy," he points to the person who is sitting at the laptop, "he's the Driver. The Driver writes the code, but he doesn't think. You are the…

The conclusion seems inescapable that at least with certain kinds of large programs, the continued adaption, modification, and correction of errors in them, is essentially dependent on a certain kind of knowledge possessed by a group of programmers who are closely and continuously connected with them. Peter Naur - Programming as Theory Building You look at that bit of code, the one where you have to add some new functionality and hear yourself saying out loud: "I would never have written it this way... How…