Rubber Duck Reflections

The quirks and quacks of software development.

Seven little habits for writing better code

Writing good code requires close attention to detail and lots of will power and discipline. Good habits are half the battle.

Sep 3, 2025 7 mins

Careers Developer Software Development

The discipline of great code

The discipline and precision required to write great code may be as tedious as polishing forks. It’s where excellence comes from.

Aug 27, 2025 4 mins

Careers Developer Software Development

Your code is more strongly coupled than you think

Understanding the four kinds of dynamic connascence can help you see more deeply into the most subtle, obstinate, and misery-making code dependencies.

Aug 20, 2025 7 mins

Careers Developer Software Development

Five ways your code is coupled, for better or worse

Understanding the five kinds of static connascence will help you see more deeply into your code and how it works – and how you could make it better.

Aug 13, 2025 8 mins

Careers Developer Software Development

How to measure coupled code

There is in fact a way to describe the type and severity of coupling that can occur in your code. It’s called connascence.

Aug 6, 2025 4 mins

Careers Developer Software Development

How to write a good bug report

Bugs are inevitable, but confusion about what they do or don’t do and how to reproduce them is not. Make sure your bug reports have these five ingredients.

Jul 30, 2025 6 mins

Bugs Developer Devops

Are coding interviews necessary?

Companies need developers who can solve problems and write good code. Thinking fast under pressure isn’t part of the job description.

Jul 23, 2025 5 mins

Careers Developer Software Development

Database design tips for developers

Good software habits apply to databases too. Trust in these little design tips to build a useful, rot-resistant database schema.

Jul 16, 2025 12 mins

Careers Databases Developer

Anonymity should not be free

Online anonymity hasn’t made the Internet a better place. Making people pay for anonymity on social platforms could shift the balance of incentives in a better direction.

Jul 2, 2025 5 mins

Developer Software Development Technology Industry

Software development meets the McNamara Fallacy

Measuring and measurements are taking over software development. Let’s not lose sight of what really matters.

Jun 25, 2025 4 mins

Careers Engineer IT Leadership

Managing software projects is a double-edged sword

Sometimes you have to balance protecting your people with being a loyal member of the management team.

Jun 11, 2025 6 mins

Careers Developer Software Development

Naming is easy! A guide for developers

Naming things properly, completely, and clearly is a huge part of writing good code. And if you avoid these traps, it’s easy.

Jun 4, 2025 7 mins

Careers Developer Software Development

How to hire software developers

You’ll only attract top-tier developers if your organization is built to support them. And if you avoid these common mistakes.

May 28, 2025 5 mins

Careers Developer IT Leadership

Five rules for coding with Booleans

Booleans may seem harmless, but using them can be fraught with peril. When you can’t avoid them, follow these five rules.

May 20, 2025 6 mins

Careers Developer Engineer

The three refactorings every developer needs most

All refactorings are useful, but Extract Method, Rename Variable/Method/Class, and Extract Variable will have the biggest impact on your code.

May 14, 2025 6 mins

Careers Developer Software Development

Technical debt is just an excuse

Don’t call it technical debt unless you’re going to go back and fix it. Otherwise, you’re just giving the team permission to do things the wrong way.

May 7, 2025 4 mins

IT Leadership Software Development

Four essential ingredients of software development

No software project succeeds without attention to detail, teamwork, communication, and standard operating procedures. I learned this from the Navy.

Apr 30, 2025 6 mins

Careers Developer Engineer

Cubicles are a software development anti-pattern

Developers don’t need open office spaces that foster spontaneous collaboration. They need a quiet place for deep concentration.

Apr 23, 2025 4 mins

Careers Developer IT Leadership

The programming language wars

‘Choose the right tool for the job’ never seems to satisfy the diehards who think their tool is the right tool for every job.

Apr 16, 2025 5 mins

Careers Developer Programming Languages

Four paradoxes of software development

Software development is full of paradoxes that are challenging to deal with. Our job is to ship despite them.

Apr 9, 2025 10 mins

Careers Developer Software Development

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