Top posts
Every blog post that took off on Hacker News, ranked by the votes of its best submission. 6,087 posts.
Don't write clean code, write CRISP code
“Clean code” is so over: all the cool kids are switching to CRISP code . I’ll show you how to achieve it in five catchy, T-shirt-friendly slogans.
Remote work won, don't let anyone gaslight you to believe otherwise
Bad managers and CRE bagholders lost, competent employees and internet-savvy teams won ...arbitrary authoritarian control over your work-life is so 1900s
Why I'm joining the Dart Team
UPDATE May 2018: It’s 2 years later and this article still gets hundreds of reads a month. I should note some of the things below are outdated. For example, when I say “soon, you’ll be able to …
What is a Full Stack developer? (2012)
Is it reasonable to expect mere mortals to have mastery over every facet of the development stack? Probably not, but Facebook can ask for it. I was told at OSCON by a Facebook employee that they only hire 'Full Stack' developers. Well, what does that mean? To me, a Full Stack Developer is someone with
Is Software Engineering Possible?
When the textile industry arose in the 18th century, craft was the norm in manufacturing. As the industrial revolution progressed, one after another sector of the economy made the transition from c…
Jon Pretty wins in court against sexual harassment claims by Scala community
I am a Scala developer and speaker who was cancelled three years ago. Yesterday I attended the High Court in London to hear an apology from several prominent members of the Scala community for making untrue claims about me on 27 April 2021. I sued them for libel, and they admitted fault and settled, paying me costs…
How to reduce stress and overcome anxiety as a software developer
I share my story about stress and anxiety and how I managed to overcome it. I also share practical tips and resources that will help you begin your healing journey today!
Why I'm not rushing to take sides in the RubyGems fiasco
We are in the midst of a Ruby drama for the ages. I'm sure a bunch of people figured we were all too old for this shit, but apparently we are not. This debate…
How I almost killed Facebook
It is a little-known fact that I nearly killed Facebook before it started. At least, that's what I like to think. Though, perhaps it was in...
Be good to your mentors
Mentor relationships can be absolutely wonderful over the arc of a career. This is a simple way to think about finding and keeping good mentors.
So You Want to Be a Security Expert
I regularly receive e-mail from people who want advice on how to learn more about computer security, either as a course of study in college or as an IT person considering it as a career choice. First, know that there are many subspecialties in computer security. You can be an expert in keeping systems from being…
Power struggles among nice people
Most of my clients are CEOs of growing companies, most of the rest are C-level executives in similar settings, and a number of others are leaders in investment or professional services firms. In order to be effective in these roles they must be able to influence others, wield authority, and maintain status. At the…
Transmuting Low-Value Programmer Cred into High-Value Status Illegibility
Not long ago, I wrote a post about that one, “top” software engineer role that companies don’t hire directly into. I’m going to pick up where I left off there. For a quick recap, recall the diagram I made (and my wife kindly GIF-ified for me). In red, you have the positions that a company...
Interfaces – The Most Important Software Engineering Concept
An interface can be thought of as a contract between the system and the environment. In a computer program, the 'system' is the function or module in question, and the 'environment' is the rest of the project. The interface formally describes what can pass between the system and the environment. An 'implementation'…
Things you are allowed to do, academic edition
Since it’s application season again, I thought that I would share some things that you are ‘allowed’ to do in academia but may not be aware of. This post is inspired by Milan Cvitkovic’s post on ‘Things you’re allowed to do’ and Veronika Cheplygina’s posts on advice for Ph.D. students, in particular her post ‘7 things…
Letter to a young programmer
Dear (insert name here), I heard you enjoy a certain programming language named Python. Programming is a wonderful activity. I am a little...
A CS degree is better than teaching yourself how to code?
Should I teach myself to code or get a college CS degree? This is a question that many face. Software development is a field that is heavily reliant on skills. So surely teaching yourself to code should be enough right? Wrong.
Why top firms fire good workers
Elite firms’ culture of employee turnover isn’t arbitrary but a rational way to signal talent and boost profits, a new study finds.
How to form a California LLC without a lawyer
Follow these steps to start an LLC in California
Talking about layoffs
We don’t really talk about layoffs. When you hear someone say they got laid off, it’s likely the next thing you hear from them is about the new job they’re starting. But we don’t talk about what it’s like in between those two events - which means we’re not acknowledging how traumatic it is to be laid off.