In Learning From Your Bugs, I wrote about how I have been keeping track of the most interesting bugs I have come across. I recently reviewed all 194 entries (going back 13 years), to see what lessons I have learned from them. Here are the most important lessons, split into the categories of coding, testing and debugging:
Bugs are great learning opportunities. So how do we make sure we learn as much as possible from the bugs we fix? A method I have used for more than 13 years now is to write down a short description of the bug, the fix, and the lessons I learned.
Way back in 2002, I came across a blog post (that I unfortunately can’t find again) that described this method. I have used it ever since, and I believe it has helped me become a better software developer.
Every time I fix a particularly tricky or interesting bug, I take a few minutes to write down some facts about it. Here is an example of a typical entry: Continue reading
Posted in Debugging, Learning, Programming, Testing
In my previous post, The Wisdom of Programming Quotes, I called out some quotes that look good on the surface, but turn out to promote the wrong ideas about software development. I have also posted some of my favorite programming qoutes in the past. But I thought I would list a few more good ones. Continue reading
I love good programming quotes. The best ones say something true about the craft of programming, usually both concisely and humorously. Recently I started following Programming Wisdom on Twitter. It’s been a source of many great quotes, but occasionally I have seen quotes that I think completely misunderstand the essence of programming. Here are three examples: Continue reading
When I graduated from university with a degree in Computer Science, I wanted to continue and get a Ph.D. But I also wanted to work as a software developer, so I worked for five years in industry before going back to do a Ph.D. I spent one year as a Ph.D. student before deciding that I liked professional software development better. Even though this was many years ago, I think some of the lessons I learnt still apply. Continue reading
I recently finished reading Ghost in the Wires by Kevin Mitnick. It is the story of Mitnick’s hacking career, from the start in his teens, through becoming the FBI’s most wanted hacker, to spending years in jail before finally being released. It’s a fascinating book that at times reads like a thriller. One of the things that struck me when reading it was how often he used social engineering to gain access to systems. Here are three examples of what he did, and what we can learn from them. Continue reading
I regularly get emails from recruiters trying to get me to change jobs. Unfortunately, many of the emails are not very good, wasting my and the recruiters’ time. So here are 5 tips for recruiters on how to write a good email, as well as some advice for developers. Continue reading
