I'm still working my way through the back catalogue of Software Engineering Radio. I recently listened to a particularly good episode, with Pat Helland. There were a few things specific to web scale, but generally it was good because he explained general concepts very well. I'll mention two of his explanations here, but I recommend … Continue reading Software Engineering Radio Podcast on Web Scale
Mutation testing
Mutation testing is a way of judging the quality of your tests, just as tests are a way of judging the quality of your code. Usually, the tests that mutation testing works with are automated unit tests. In theory it could apply to manual and/or higher-level tests like integration or system tests, but I hope … Continue reading Mutation testing
Lazy initialisation and threads (in C#)
Lazy initialisation is a way to set up everything needed to initialise something, but put off the initialising until later, usually when the value of the thing-being-initialised is needed for the first time. You might want to use lazy initialisation because something is expensive to initialise, and you might not need it. Or because you … Continue reading Lazy initialisation and threads (in C#)
Documenting ASP.NET REST APIs with Swagger / Swashbuckle
Introduction Swagger is a way to document a REST API, and tools can automate much of this process (but not all of it). At the centre of things is a JSON file that describes the API. You can create this file by hand or use a tool to generate e.g. from the API source code. … Continue reading Documenting ASP.NET REST APIs with Swagger / Swashbuckle
Not all requirements are created equal
Requirements for an IT system come in several shapes and sizes. Even if you manage to get requirements that are clear, concise, comprehensive, unambiguous and agreed, they could still be badly behaved. I will try to warn you of some of the perils that requirements can cause. Well-behaved requirements Before I get onto badly behaved … Continue reading Not all requirements are created equal
Auctions and adverts
I'm slowly making my way through the back episodes of the podcast Linear Digressions. Normally it's about machine learning, but there are a couple of episodes (one big episode chopped into two) about auctions. As in, how do eBay and Google make money (not the same way) and which is better? There is some interesting … Continue reading Auctions and adverts
Guest Blog: Are you a bad interface between colleagues and your code?
Paul Boag, UX and digital strategy guru has kindly taken another post by me. It's called Are you a bad interface between colleagues and your code? The previous post of mine that he's published is about modularising code.
K-means clustering and Voronoi maps
Introduction This article came out of one of those realisations that two things I already knew were linked or even the same thing, like Clark Kent and Superman or regular expressions and finite state machines. It’s not a new realisation – a minimal amount of Googling showed that the link is in the first paragraph … Continue reading K-means clustering and Voronoi maps
Programmers should play nicely with others
Introduction There is a stereotype of a certain kind of programmer. It’s of a young white able-bodied man, alone in his room, creating the future through the force of his intellect. This creation leads to widespread change and a gazillion dollars for him. While it can be amazing to create things in code, and there … Continue reading Programmers should play nicely with others
Programmers, mental models and decisions
Introduction I listen to the podcast Art of Manliness - its title is possibly misleading, as it's quite a mix of philosophy, practical skills, self improvement, lives of interesting people and so on. The episode I listened to most recently was about mental models, from Shane Parrish who is the person behind Farnam Street. I … Continue reading Programmers, mental models and decisions
