The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source Lessons from 10k hours of programming (Interview)
8 snips
Oct 8, 2021 
In this insightful conversation, Matt Rickard, a seasoned software developer and writer of "Reflections on 10,000 Hours of Programming," shares his journey through programming mastery. He discusses the importance of deliberate practice, the power of exploring source code over online answers, and the emotional attachment developers have to their code. Matt emphasizes best practices like managing code complexity and the value of community cross-pollination, revealing how evolving lessons shape our coding skills over time.
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Configuration Complexity
- Understand where you are on the spectrum of configuration complexity.
- Increase complexity gradually, ensuring your project and developers can absorb it.
Progress as a Helix
- Progress in software development is often iterative and cyclical, resembling a helix.
- Returning to old ideas with new tools and perspectives leads to improvement.
DRY Considered Harmful
- Avoid blindly applying DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) principles.
- Sometimes, a little repetition is better than introducing unnecessary dependencies.
