Erik on Software

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software engineering

A collection of 150 issues

Community Comment: Part 37 - All code is disposable; only some code is trash

* All code is disposable; only some code is trash * The word "trash" has negative connotations * All portions of given code base have life cycle * Avoid miscommunication by being clear! The comments I provided in reaction to a community discussion thread. Software Architect at Design & Construction Product Firm:

Community Comment: Part 35 - Despite naysayers, benchmarking can be valuable

* Don't repeat a quote before assessing it * Galanakis incorrect about unexecuted code * Execution required for relative performance * Benchmarking valuable despite naysayers The comments I provided in reaction to a community discussion thread. Chief Challenge Writer at Coding Challenges: Some advice just never gets old. “Controlling complexity is the

Community Comment: Part 28 - Technical debt is actually a subset of organizational debt

* Not all technical debt is the same * Discussion with purported CTOs * Technical debt is subset of organizational debt * Business + technology = "our business" The comments I provided in reaction to a community discussion thread. Fractional CTO and "Engineering Management Expert": "Technical debt? Is that a joke?

Counterpoint (7 Years Later) - 20 Questions to Detect Fake Data Scientists

Gfesser via Midjourney: "Anime painting of horse wearing a sweater and working on a laptop, sitting in a corner office overlooking the Chicago River." Erik on Software anniversary post #500. Almost exactly seven years ago, I published what was for a long time one of my most popular

Community Comment: Part 25 - When considering the choice between waterfall and agile methodologies, keep product life cycle in mind

* Waterfall versus various agile claims * Software engineering methodologies * Poor methodologies assume product lifespan * Lifespan may be too short to see success The comments I provided in reaction to a community discussion thread. Owner at Software Delivery Firm: What does this say to you? #agile #waterfall #softwaredevelopment #iterativedevelopment #incrementaldevelopment Gfesser: The

Community Comment: Part 22 - The phrase "it depends" is still relevant!

* The phrase "it depends" still relevant * Decisional factors need to be accounted * Never bow to unjustified pressure * Your clients & customers will thank you The comments I provided in reaction to a community discussion thread. CEO at Consulting Firm: Software meetings best practices: ❌ Never say: Never. ✅ Always say:

Community Comment: Part 21 - Premature optimization is root of all evil, with caveats

* Premature optimization is root of all evil, with caveats * This maxim often taken out of context * Functional correctness is first priority * Expected workloads impact architecture The comments I provided in reaction to a community discussion thread. CEO at ELT Platform Firm: NEVER focus on load times when you first stand

Community Comment: Part 20 - Shifting the debate from 10x engineers to 10x interactions is unwise

* Debate about the "10x" engineer continues * Shifting debate to 10x interactions unwise * Excessive interaction is often a symptom * Say "yes" to beneficial interaction only The comments I provided in reaction to a community discussion thread. Senior Principal Engineer at Food Delivery Firm: Too many companies delusionally

Media Query Source: Part 40 - CIO (US digital magazine); 10 key roles for AI success

* CIO (US digital magazine) * 10 key roles every AI team needs * Data engineer role is foundational * Suitable data leads to trustworthiness My responses ended up being included in an article at CIO (June 7, 2022). Extent of verbatim quote highlighted in orange, paraphrased quote highlighted in gray. Above image from

Community Comment: Part 19 - Firms have more choices than just buy vs build

* Firms have more choices than vendors admit * The "buy vs build" choice is nuanced * Commercial & open source fall on spectrum * Blanket $ statements cannot be made The comments I provided in reaction to a community discussion thread. CEO at ELT platform firm: Do you think your data team