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Pareto Programming
One of my favourite principles is the Pareto Principle, also known as the 80-20 rule. The principle states that frequently, around 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. I love this principle...
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Advice to My Younger Self
In professional terms, at the age of 33 I am still relatively young. I have more of my career ahead of me than behind me. Nevertheless, when I look back, I can see that my perspective has changed...
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The Frustrated Programmer
As a programmer you are likely to experience frustration from time to time. In the last few months I am sure you can recall at least a couple of occasions when you have sat at your desk, faced with a...
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Does Inline CSS Make Me A Terrible Person?
There is a lot of dogma in programming. I don’t know if there are similar levels of dogma in other forms of engineering, but the adamance with which some programmers subscribe to certain practices and...
View ArticleThe Natural Planning Model
Perhaps my favourite technique from David Allen’s excellent book, Getting Things Done, is something he calls the Natural Planning Model. This is an informal approach to project planning which can be...
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Advice on Public Speaking
Although a career in programming may not require a great deal of public speaking, the chances are that at some point a programmer will need to speak in front of a group of people for one reason or...
View ArticleImperative and Declarative Programming
Out of curiosity and a wish to refresh my memory of some things I learnt in uni, I recently started reading about imperative and declarative programming. Before long I had entered a never-ending cycle...
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Essentialism For Programmers
Image from http://xkcd.com/386/ Last night I watched a Scott Hanselman talk on productivity from 2012, for the first time. It is a very enjoyable and thought-provoking talk which I would encourage...
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Back to Basics – Readability
Arguably the most important skill in a programmer’s arsenal, yet possibly the one which he receives the least training in, is the ability to write readable code. This skill was barely touched on...
View ArticleChoosing a JavaScript Framework
JavaScript frameworks are of course all the rage right now. When starting a new web-based project, one of the first questions asked is often – which JavaScript framework should I use? Probably the four...
View ArticleGood Naming
Most developers struggle to name things well, and worse, many underestimate the importance of good naming. A badly named variable, method or class not only has the potential to infuriate other...
View ArticleThe Fear Trade Off
As a programmer working in a team in a professional arena, you will sooner or later find yourself drowning. You underestimated your task. You are stuck and you are losing confidence in your ability to...
View ArticleGood Naming of Unit Tests
A couple of posts ago I spoke about Good Naming, and amongst other things outlined some principles that can be followed when choosing good names for methods or functions. There is of course one type of...
View ArticleThe ACT Model for Becoming a Better Programmer
“I really do believe that a combination of Attribute development, Conceptual understanding and Technical knowledge lead to the creation of the best possible jiu jitsu fighter.” – Nic Gregoriades Nic...
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Does Inline CSS Make Me A Terrible Person?
There is a lot of dogma in programming. I don’t know if there are similar levels of dogma in other forms of engineering, but the adamance with which some programmers subscribe to certain practices and...
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