The Stack Overflow Podcast Programming problems that seem easy, but aren't, featuring Jon Skeet
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Jul 1, 2025 Jon Skeet, a legendary figure at Stack Overflow and the first to hit a million reputation points, dives into the complexities of programming. He shares insights on the headaches caused by time zones, daylight savings, and outdated tech like Y2K. Jon sheds light on the challenges of software versioning in .NET, often a maze for developers. He also reflects on his semi-retirement and the importance of clear documentation and anticipating failures in projects. With his humor and expertise, Jon demystifies topics that seem simple but aren't!
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Jon Skeet's Human Epic Fail Anecdote
- Jon Skeet once gave a talk on how simple things like dates and times are actually complicated.
- He highlighted how humanity tends to make fundamental concepts needlessly complex.
Avoid Simple UTC Assumptions
- Don't assume storing everything in UTC and converting on the client is enough for time zone correctness.
- Proper date-time handling is complex and simplistic solutions often fail in edge cases.
Expose Complexity to Avoid Errors
- DateTime types that unify local, UTC, and unspecified times cause subtle bugs.
- APIs that expose complexity directly help developers make correct decisions by forcing them to think.