Posts in developer

July 27, 2013

Writing Software for the Novelist

I began my third unfinished novel about four months ago. This time, though, I had a very specific reason for putting it on the shelf. I was unhappy with the writing software available to me and I decided to create my own. I want to invite you on this journey and open the door to the process of planning and creating a viable software product.

February 7, 2013

Rule #5 - Code for the Maintainer

January 16, 2013

Rule #4 - Be Explicit

Should you ever use the var keyword in C#? What about Javascript? Being clear and precise is very important in legal contracts, but it's even more important in software. An unfortunate experience as a teenager helped crystallize the importance of being explicit in both legal matters and software.

June 11, 2012

Rule #3 - Never Write the Same Code Twice

Learn how duplicate code can turn your software projects into a circus and what Southwest Airlines can teach us about the benefits of avoiding duplicate code. Finally, Master Po and young Grasshopper bring us a few words of wisdom when it comes to perfectionism and practicality.

May 31, 2012

Rule #2 - Fail Fast and Hard

It's counter intuitive, but your programs will have fewer bugs and require less maintenance time if you do less (not more) error handling. Learn how focusing on making your programs fail is the better path toward more stable and more maintainable software.