We Can’t Name Variables. Now We’re Writing Prompts?

We used to rely on compilers for clarity. Now we rely on language models that don’t throw errors when we’re imprecise. Programming is becoming less about logic and more about articulation in natural language.

What AI Hype Misses About Real Software Engineering Work

AI coding tools are brilliant at creating new code. But most engineers don’t just create new code. They work in legacy systems, where the challenge isn’t writing, it’s understanding. We need more than just generation from AI coding tools. We also need comprehension.

AI-Generated Tests are Lying to You

AI-generated tests don’t ensure correctness. They mirror your code’s bugs. See why automating testing without understanding can destroy software quality.

Texas Sharpshooters and Test-Driven Development

The Texas Sharpshooter fallacy describes a bias where patterns are forced to fit preconceived beliefs. TDD increases the likelihood that tests reflect intended behavior rather than confirming flawed code, thus avoiding the “sharpshooting” of writing tests to suit existing, potentially faulty implementations.

Avoid Fakers in Unit Tests

Unless you are fuzz testing or your goal is to create property-based tests, test data generators (a.k.a. fakers) are likely to do more harm than good in the long run.

What is a Unit Test?

There is a lot of confusion about what unit tests are and how they differ from integration tests. This post provides one viewpoint on what unit tests are.

Duplication over Abstraction in Unit Tests

In your production code, favor abstraction over duplication. In your unit tests, favor duplication over abstraction.

What Does Bad Code Look Like?

What does bad code look like? It may be more interesting to think about bad code in terms of what it feels like.

Code Review Checklist: 62 Things to Look Out For in Code Reviews

Do you use a code review checklist to encourage thorough code reviews? Here are 62 things to look out for in code reviews.

How I Manage Simultaneous Learning and Productivity

Software development in professional settings is often severely time-constrained, so I rarely find enough time to gain an expert-level understanding of the numerous concepts I encounter during the course of my work. This post describes the framework I use to manage simultaneous productivity and meaningful learning in time-constrained contexts.