Crafting Code Podcast

At any given point in our careers, the skills we have developed and the experiences we have gained (or the lack thereof) can influence how we think about our work and how we make decisions. In this episode, your hosts discuss how we can identify and deal with these biases. From Dunning-Kruger to over-planning to working without a net, we cover how we internalize these biases. Then we talk about in...

Should code design be something we should have in mind when starting, or should we allow it to emerge from a test-driven design process? How much mileage can we get by getting better the up front design process before we run into a Design Quality Paradox? Can coupling and cohesion guide us to how small we ought to break up a function? Are code comments important to design or something to be avoide...

The need to learn is taken as a necessity in our industry. And yet, most who write code spend almost all their time in performance mode and very little in learning mode. We are delighted to have special guest Steven Diamante join us to talk about this topic. We discuss the importance of learning on your own and in groups, and talk about ways to improve learning outcomes in our training meetings.

The effort required to author a good book can lead to a depth of understanding that doesn't come as readily to other mediums. And when a good book stands the test of time, it's worth sharing. In this episode, Dave and Allan share our recommendations for books we think are worth reading if you are serious about software. We grouped these recommendations into some categories from generally applicabl...

Applying Conway's famous Law tells us that software architecture and culture are intertwined. How people communicate affects how they architect their software. And the reverse is also true: being intentional about an architecture can change how people behave. In this episode, your hosts discuss this hidden coupling and how important it is to align the two.

The culture of your company has a big influence on how much you enjoy your job. Unfortunately, finding one that fits just right for your unique combination of people is hard. On top of that, there are inevitably subcultures within the larger organization. In this episode, Dave and Allan discuss things we've valued in company cultures, things we watch out for, and some ideas on being intentional in...

We often hear stories from successful companies shared across the industry, but usually what they did to succeed doesn't work for us. Are there principles that are independent of the organizations that we work at? Coda Hale thinks there are. In this episode we review the article, 'Work is Work' which you can read at https://codahale.com/work-is-work/

Why is asking questions such an important soft skill for software developers? Is a mindset of inquiry a way to learn more and engage in better, open communication? How can we utilize questions during retrospectives and blameless postmortems? Can questions be an important teaching tool? Will you learn more about asking questions by listening to this episode?

In the physical world we readily intuit how context matters in decision making. For example, a compact car is a perfectly fine vehicle, but may not be suitable for hauling a large load. Context informing software decisions may be even more important, since it isn't as obvious. In this episode, your hosts discuss the need for context and values as we look at 'best' practices, non-functional require...

In episode 29 we discussed ways that a software developer can make an impact in their job. In this episode, we reflect on what things have made the most impact on Dave and Allan as software developers. We share experiences, books, presentations, people, and practices which have made a significant difference in our careers. Our hope is that you'll hear something that helps you in your career.

AI is a hot topic in tech these days, and usually people are talking about LLMs. Are they really going to be replacing programmers? Or are they just the latest fad in a long line of promises to replace those pesky coders? In this episode, Allan and Dave talk about out experiences with AI code assistants and how tools tend to slowly evolve how we work rather than fundamentally overthrow it.

The concept of clean code is one that Dave and Allan feel is very important. But sometimes we hear or read of people saying it is unimportant or unnecessary in some cases. In this episode, we explain what we mean by 'clean code' and why we think it really matters. After all, it's exponentially easier to make a mess than it is to keep things clean.

What does a software architect actually do? The answer will vary widely depending on the company you work at. But generally speaking, we've found that there are two main things every architect is expected to do: make decisions and draw diagrams. So in this episode, your hosts discuss tools and strategies they've used to successfully deliver on those two expectations. We value clarity in communicat...

How can I make a difference? What should I be doing in my role? These are pretty common questions software developers ask themselves, even after many years of experience. In this episode, we discuss how to make a difference (and some of the struggles we encounter) at various sizes of business. We also talk a little bit about career paths or specializations. Whether you're in a small team or a larg...

The change of perspective which comes from reframing a problem can often yield fresh insights or improve our outlook. Discussing the state of a technical system in terms of health may be preferable to the oft-used debt metaphor. In this episode, your hosts discuss how this shift in thinking can help us deal with our software issues, and then we share some ideas which have helped us communicate and...

Is the mythical 10x developer real? We think so... at least inasmuch as some people regularly improve the systems they work in until they (and often their team) are far more productive. We've definitely experienced 10x systems. So join Allan and Dave in the search for this cryptid through the economic principles and interconnected practices it calls home.

Constraints make great engineering. They aren't always a bad thing, and understanding them can help you make better coding decisions. In this episode, Dave and Allan discuss many different common constraints. Some are more obvious like technology, time, and budget. Others are easily missed but still useful: people, org charts, and culture.

Bits do not rot when left alone, but the world around the code changes. Over time, although the code itself has not changed, the value provided by it will effectively rot away. In this episode, your hosts talk explore this topic; from video games and antiquated coding paradigms to the Red Queen hypothesis and software gardening.

Are we unintentionally doing things which reward bad behavior? Sometimes company policies incentivize people to do the wrong thing, like coming to work sick because they've run out of sick days. Although we rarely have control over company policies, we can look for ways that our teams reward bad behaviors. In this episode, Dave and Allan share some examples of bad behaviors we've seen, in the hope...

Technical debt is a metaphor which is thrown around a lot, but what is is really? In this episode, Dave and Allan discuss the metaphor and how well it holds up when compared to financial debt. Regardless of the name, we have to spend time and money addressing this unavoidable, perennial problem. So what can we do about it?

Software frameworks are so useful we can hardly imagine working without them. Yet they have an insidious tendency to invade, corrupt, and wrest control away from us. In this episode, your hosts discuss the good and bad of frameworks and offer some suggestions for keeping them at arm's length.

In this episode, your hosts (finally!) share some actual code examples to illustrate some of our thoughts about crafting code. Follow along with the code at https://github.com/crafting-code-podcast/crafting-katas as we discuss how we implemented Conway's Game of Life in multiple languages. Testing strategies, optimizations, and feedback loops all demonstrate that crafting code is ultimately an ite...

The works of Edsger W. Dijkstra have made a huge impact on the software industry. In this episode, your hosts dive into his paper, The Humble Programmer ( https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/355604.361591?download=true ), to discuss how well it holds up to today's programming world. We cover hardware, cleverness, abstraction, proofs, and more. Even when we disagree with his specifics, we find ourse...

There are many benefits to having communities of practice, so long as the community continues to exist. In this episode, special guests Jon Turner and Neil Sorensen discuss what they've learned over their many years attending and facilitating the Utah Software Craftsmanship group ( http://utahsc.org/ ).

Will using simple tools help you keep your codebase simple? In this episode, your hosts try to draw a distinction between simplicity and ease, then examine how they apply to the tools we use to write code. Unfortunately, simplicity and complexity depend on what level of abstraction you're working at. Sometimes we choose to trade simplicity for easiness, or visa-versa. And maybe there are some simp...