- Author
- qntm
- Published
- 2025-02-03
- Kind
- Personal blog post, a list of opinions, with reader comments
- Original
- qntm.org/devphilo
- Subject
- Software design
What it is
qntm is a senior developer who runs the Things Of Interest blog. The post turns a five minute workplace talk into a written list. The author says the list is miscellaneous and not exhaustive.
What it says
- The post says to steer early away from reaching a point where rewrites look attractive.
- Working code is about half done, the post says. It advises aiming for 90% done in 50% of the time.
- If a guideline needs repeating, the post says to automate it.
- The post says edge cases are the job, so think about pathological data.
- The post prefers a middle ground between microservices and a monolith.
- Code should be obviously correct, not just provably correct, the post says.
- The post says hard-to-test code probably signals poor encapsulation.
What evidence it gives
The post offers opinion and experience, with a few examples. It cites adages about the last 10% of a job and about chess moves. The reader comments add anecdotes and counterpoints. Nothing is measured.
Interests and limits
This is one developer's view, written for juniors. The author says software development is subjective and invites disagreement. No outcomes of following the rules are reported. The comments are a small, self-selected sample.