Solving problems without reading code - With Tudor Girba
Mar 15, 2016
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Tudor Girba, a code researcher, discusses changing code handling, importance of efficient querying, implementing a DSL for software development, benefits of writing tests, and redefining analysis in development work.
Developers lack efficient ways to retrieve information from code, advocating for the use of query-based tools like Muse platform.
Testing and assessing software architecture through code querying can be as crucial as testing functionality for long-term software success.
Deep dives
Teaching Developers to Stop Reading Code
Tudor Giroba discusses his research on changing the way developers deal with code. He highlights that developers spend most of their time reading code and that this skill is lacking. This is a significant issue as developers are spending half of their development budget on something they rarely talk about. Giroba argues that reading code is a manual way to gather information and that there are more efficient ways to approach retrieving information from code, such as querying it. He suggests that developers need tools that allow them to query their code and test their architecture, similar to how they test functionality. Giroba proposes the use of tools like the Muse platform to empower developers to program analysis and make it as easy as querying a database.
Rethinking Tools and Architectural Testing
Giroba emphasizes the importance of tools in software development and how they make developers more effective. He draws a parallel between architecture and functionality, highlighting that architecture is just as important in the long run. Giroba then explores the concept of testing architecture and suggests that querying code can be a way to test and assess the structure of a software system. He explains that tools like graph-based querying can be used to check dependencies, migrations, and patterns in code. Giroba argues that when the industry starts discussing a problem, solutions are found, and he believes that tools need to be rethought and reevaluated to make querying code and testing architecture more accessible and effective.
Making Analysis of Code More Accessible
Giroba discusses the importance of analysis in software development and proposes making it more accessible for developers. He introduces the concept of humane assessment, which aims to improve the way developers interact with code. Giroba shares his experience of using tools like the Muse platform to solve real-world development problems and argues that his approach is not just conceptual but has been validated through practical application. He encourages people interested in these ideas to get in touch with him and explore open-source resources like the Muse technology community, which aims to redefine analysis and educate developers on how analysis can be done. Giroba envisions a future where analysis tools are integrated into IDEs and developers can easily program analysis as part of their everyday workflow.
Tudor Girba joins us at ArchConf 2015 where he discusses the work he's doing to change the way we deal with code and why fundamentally, code is not text but data and can be queried as such.
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