Articles
Software engineering lessons from production, raw and honest from the heart — almost 20 years of them. Jump to a year in the sidebar, or browse categories.
March 2025
What I mean by "tests can be slop"
Tests may look like slop, but make them clear, not clever. Best practices are key: Test outcomes, not code. Name with intent. Keep tests independent. More straightforward tests beat fewer abstract ones.
AI writes good tests, actually
I've been using AI to write tests and it works surprisingly well! Here's how.
Principles of high output engineering teams
A few engineering principles I aim to instill in every team I join. Lead or not.
Talk to more users sooner
Debate less, ship more.
February 2025
What I learned from Inspired
Products not projects. Outcomes not features. Iterate.
Depth takes time
It takes about 3 years to experience the consequences of your own decisions.
Code yourself out of the job
Let go of your legos and let others do the work.
I was wrong about databases
The best part about writing is that you get to learn new and exciting ways you were wrong. Databases are smarter than I thought!
*Why* the relational data model is so good
You've heard that array or list columns in a database are bad. But why? Yesterday it clicked for me
A pattern for composable UI in Flask
Turn your unwieldy Flask codebase into manageable, composable fragments with this UI pattern. Very close to HTMX.
How *do* you break down a large project? INVEST
Going from Big Vision to Series of Executable Steps is a key skill for senior+ engineers. PMs can help but they don't know everything.
January 2025
How do you prioritize?
How do you choose what to work on first? As an empowered engineer that's a key skill.
Server-side React that renders as png, pdf, or interactive webapp
What if your React code could render as a PNG, PDF, static HTML, or fully interactive webapp just by changing the URL? I got a working demo! 😁
Build the abstraction first
Hardcoding logic when you're tight on time doesn't need to make a mess. You can build the abstraction first!
What I learned from Accelerate
Accelerate is the empirical research behind books such as The Phoenix/Unicorn Project and (parts of) Software Engineering at Google. I loved it.
Why you need a task queue
Task queues have been on my mind lately so here's a little primer on what they are, how they work, and why you need them when your project starts to grow.
Coaching AI to write your code
Working with AI is here and it's skill. Just like google-fu became important in the mid 2000's. A few things I've learned.
The score takes care of itself
Less talking more doing
December 2024
Looking for beta readers
Wanna read my hardest engineering lessons learned? You're in luck!
Your next mountain, pt2
3+1 quick book recommendations to help you think about next year
What's your next mountain?
Life is a hill-climbing algorithm
Why system design is my favorite interview
Without reading their resume, you'll see if a candidate is fresh or has been doing this a while. And you'll know their blind spots and their strengths
Atoms, molecules, organisms
Here it is: 20+ years of programming experience distilled into 378 words. From the book I'm writing.
Smart core, thin interfaces
Here's an approach to writing code that I've been using for years and couldn't quite put into words until now. One of those _"This feels wrong but I can't explain why"_. Now I can!
Why learning and teaching the good stuff is hard
You can't learn to ride a bike from reading a book.
Empirical evidence for code modularity
Few of your engineering decisions matter long-term. Software is soft. You can change your mind. But how you structure your components is here to stay.
November 2024
Why even care about code structure
As long as it works, right?
The anatomy of a React Island
A coworker asked how React Islands work and I realized it's a technique I've been using to modernize monolithic web codebases for years, but never wrote down how it works.
Finding modules in a big ball of mud
Pulling modules out of a big ball of mud is like grabbing a slice of cheesy pizza. It's kinda separate but also not really.
Why you need observability more than tests
Here's a short and sweet story about a Friday deploy. I love Friday deploys.