

Pioneers of Computing: A Journey Through Tech History with Bob Martin - JsJ 671
5 snips Apr 1, 2025
Bob Martin, a renowned software engineer and author, delves into the history of computing and the influential figures that shaped it, including Margaret Hamilton and Linus Torvalds. He shares insights from his new book and reflects on his journey as a self-taught developer in the 70s. The conversation takes a twist with a fascinating project showcasing Doom built with TypeScript. Alongside tech history, they recommend classic sci-fi novels and TV shows, including an engaging comparison of 'The Expanse' books versus its series.
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Language Agnostic Clean Code
- Programming language choice doesn't significantly impact clean code principles.
- Bob Martin demonstrates this by using various languages in his book's second edition.
Function Size
- Keep functions small, ideally around 3-7 lines.
- Extract methods within functions if possible, giving each a descriptive name.
John Backus and Fortran
- Bob Martin's favorite story in "We Programmers" is about John Backus.
- Backus, a self-taught programmer, led the Fortran project in the 50s.