

Kevlin Henney
Consultant, programmer, keynote speaker, trainer and writer with a long history in software craft and language design discussions; frequent conference speaker and interviewer.
Top 5 podcasts with Kevlin Henney
Ranked by the Snipd community

19 snips
Feb 27, 2023 • 1h 1min
#122 - Essential Things Every Software Engineer Should Know - Kevlin Henney
“In a world that runs on software, when we develop and deploy software, we are part of a larger system where our failures are no longer about us, they are also about other people."
Kevlin Henney is a consultant, writer, and speaker on software development and has written and edited several popular books. In this episode, Kevlin shared his 3 favorite things every software engineer should know based on the two books he edited: “97 Things Every Programmer Should Know” and “97 Things Every Java Programmer Should Know”. He explained the importance for developers of taking an occasional break when working on deep work, putting code comments wisely, and using testing not just for checks but also for communication tool. Kevlin also brought up some timeless software development concepts developers should learn from the past on cohesion, coupling, and code quality. He also explained why he becomes associated with public software failures widely known as KevlinHenney screens and how the trend started in the beginning. Towards the end, Kevlin shared his views on why it is important for developers to improve public speaking, writing, and having more compassion towards each other.
Listen out for:
Career Journey - [00:04:54]
Things Every Programmer Should Know - [00:10:13]
Learning From the Past - [00:25:35]
KevlinHenney Screens - [00:38:28]
Public Speaking, Writing, and Compassion - [00:42:49]
3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:53:46]
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Kevlin Henney’s Bio
Kevlin Henney is an independent consultant, trainer, writer and speaker. His interests cover what happens on both sides of the keyboard, and everything from the detail of code to the bigger picture of software architecture. Kevlin is co–author of two volumes in the Pattern–Oriented Software Architecture series, editor of 97 Things Every Programmer Should Know and co-editor of 97 Things Every Java Programmer Should Know.
Follow Kevlin:
Twitter – @KevlinHenney
Mastodon – @kevlin@mastodon.social
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/kevlin
Medium – kevlinhenney.medium.com
Instagram – instagram.com/kevlin.henney
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For episode show notes, visit techleadjournal.dev/episodes/122.

5 snips
Oct 31, 2025 • 42min
20+ Years in Tech: Things We Wish We Knew Sooner • Daniel Terhorst-North & Kevlin Henney
Daniel Terhorst-North, a pioneer of Behavior Driven Development, joins forces with Kevlin Henney, a renowned consultant and writer. They delve into the origins of BDD and the power of sharing ideas within the tech community. The duo discusses programming language evolution, analyzing Go’s simplicity and the need for languages to align with modern hardware. They even speculate on future tech like AR lenses and the balance between using multiple languages in development. Their insights blend humor with deep technical knowledge, making for a captivating listen.

Jan 1, 2024 • 18min
[Best of 2023] #122 - Essential Things Every Software Engineer Should Know - Kevlin Henney
Kevlin Henney, a consultant, writer, and speaker on software development, discusses timeless concepts like cohesion, coupling, and code quality. He explains how he became associated with public software failures known as KevlinHenney screens. The importance of learning from the past and the responsibility of developers to create reliable software are also highlighted.

Jul 19, 2024 • 38min
Episode 191: Algorithms & Libraries with Kevlin Henney
Guest Kevlin Henney discusses the significance of algorithms and libraries in programming languages like Fortran, C, and Python. The conversation delves into contrasts between Fortran dialects, transitioning from Fortran to C, and the challenges of managing dependencies in languages like Python and C++. The speakers also explore the popularity of Python despite its imperfections and predict potential challenges in Rust's package management ecosystem.

Mar 9, 2025 • 1h 9min
From OCCAM and CSP to Java
In this episode, Kevlin Henney, an independent consultant and programming expert, shares his journey from playing with a Sinclair ZX81 to exploring advanced programming paradigms. He discusses his early days creating simulations and his academic dive into parallel computing. Henney reflects on his fascination with object-oriented programming through the lens of Java's evolution, highlighting its platform independence and unique features like inner classes. His insights also cover the influence of Communicating Sequential Processes on modern programming and the importance of bridging different coding paradigms.


