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Code Monkey Computing Readability

How Do You Evaluate Code Readability?

Erik Dietrich2 Comments

Evaluating code readability is actually pretty easy.  I’ll explain it in a way that you can easily illustrate with a flow diagram.  And you can see if you agree with my assessment. Did someone else write this code?  If so, it’s not readable. Did I write this code but more than six months ago?  If so, it’s not readable. Otherwise, it’s readable. Sound about right? I kid, but only kind of.  This tends to be my visceral, subconscious reaction before I reign myself in and think rationally.  And I bet the same is true for a lot of you reading…

Code review vs pair programming (as shown here): which should your team pick?

Code Review vs Pair-Programming: Which One Should Your Team Pick?

Carlos Schults3 Comments

Some weeks ago, I was browsing Twitter when I saw this: Pair Programming > Code Review — Rafael Ponte (@rponte) November 19, 2017 This prompted a brief discussion between the author and me. He made good arguments, but I left unconvinced that pair programming was the obvious winner. As someone who’s implemented code review with success and also paired to some extent, I could see how both practices can be valuable. But is one of them clearly better than the other? Are code review and pair programming interchangeable, or are there scenarios in which one clearly shines? That’s what I’m going…

You don't need a code review template like the one shown here.

You Don’t Need a Code Review Template

Erik Dietrich1 Comment

What do you have in mind when you search or hope for a code review template?  I’ll bet I can guess. You’re looking for something to guide you through the process.  In your mind, this probably takes the form of a worksheet of some kind.  The appropriate document should have a checklist of items for you to tick off and perhaps some free-form text spaces for you to make notes.  It will also guide you through the process in general. I get it.  But you really don’t need this, even though it seems perfectly reasonable and inviting. The Actual Life…

Zeus leading the charge of code review myths.

Examining Code Review Myths

Erik Dietrich3 Comments

Alexander Pope once opined that a little learning can be a dangerous thing.  When we learn just enough to hear something that suits our agenda, we have a cognitive bias that encourages us to stop right there.  Quit while you’re ahead, as it were. This dynamic gives rise to misconceptions.  They go by various names: urban legends, myths, canards, tall tales, etc.  Obviously, this occupies a prominent role in our world, to have such a rich tapestry of synonyms. I won’t delve any further into the psychology behind this.  That’s not my area of expertise.  But I would like to…

Automated code review is going to be worth the time.

Are You Aggressively Trying for Automated Code Review?

Erik DietrichNo Comments

Not surprisingly, software development teams have a propensity to automate.  After all, most of what we do involves automating formerly manual processes.  Stop keying that data in by hand!  Let’s write a script that loads it automatically. As software developers, we thus become connoisseurs of automation opportunity.  Come on.  Tell me you’ve never wandered around your office, observing others’ inefficient workflows.  If you didn’t have a ton of things to do, you’d write a shell script that blew their minds.  They’d have so much free time on their hands that they could take up knitting for part of the day….

There's an intense pressure to finish software quickly, which puts strain on manual code reviews.

Software Grows Too Quickly for Manual Review Only

Erik Dietrich2 Comments

How many development shops do you know that complain about having too much time on their hands?  Man, if only we had more to do.  Then we wouldn’t feel bored between completing the perfect design and shipping to production … said no software shop, ever.  Software proliferates far too quickly for that attitude ever to take root. This happens in all sorts of ways.  Commonly, the business or the market exerts pressure to ship.  When you fall behind, your competitors step in.  Other times, you have the careers and reputations of managers, directors, and executives on the line.  They’ve promised something…

Code Review Horror Stories

Code Review Horror Stories

Erik Dietrich3 Comments

In an ideal world, software developers look forward to peer code review.  The practice helps them catch potentially embarrassing mistakes before they leave the dev environment.  But beyond that, it also gives them an opportunity to showcase their work and to learn tips and tricks from peers.  Again, in the ideal world, code review offers a uniquely efficient opportunity for personal growth. Lest I seem too cynical, I’d like to point out that this also sometimes proves true in the real world.  In healthy, high-functioning groups, team members enjoy and appreciate code reviews.  They learn from one another and consistently…

Spring Cleaning Your Code Review

Erik DietrichNo Comments

Many of us have a natural tendency to let little things pile up.  This gives rise to the notion of the so-called spring cleaning.  The weather turns warm and going outside becomes reasonable, so we take the opportunity to do some kind of deep cleaning. Of course, this may not apply to you.  Perhaps you keep your house impeccable at all times, or maybe you simply have a cleaning service.  But I’ll bet that, in some part of your life or another, you put little things off until they become bigger things.  Your cruft may not involve dusty shelves and…

Automated Code Review to Help with the Unknowns of Offshore Work

Erik DietrichNo Comments

I like variety.  In pursuit of this preference, I spend some time management consulting with enterprise clients and some time volunteering for “office hours” at a startup incubator.  Generally, this amounts to serving as “rent-a-CTO” for startup founders in half hour blocks.  This provides me with the spice of life, I guess. As disparate as these advice forums might seem, they often share a common theme.  Both in the impressive enterprise buildings and the startup incubator conference rooms, people ask me about offshoring application development.  To go overseas or not to go overseas?  That, quite frequently, is the question (posed…

Transitioning from Manual to Automated Code Review

Erik DietrichNo Comments

I can almost sense the indignation from some of you.  You read the title and then began to seethe a little.  Then you clicked the link to see what kind sophistry awaited you.  “There is no substitute for peer review.” Relax.  I agree with you.  In fact, I think that any robust review process should include a healthy amount of human and automated review.  And, of course, you also need your test pyramid, integration and deployment strategies, and the whole nine yards.  Having a truly mature software shop takes a great deal of work and involves standing on the shoulders…

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