Key Shift in Cmd

A Developer's Job Isn't to Write Code

Paper is small, constrained, and uses fine writing implements. It has pre-printed lines and boundaries - starting again is difficult and slow. No one else can see what you’re writing.

Coding is slow, complex, hampered by irrelevant constraints (the need for valid linting, correct syntax & versions of APIs, etc). Code is like paper.

Clean Communication

Writing Clean Code is a good start. However, you can use the same principles beyond writing code.

Back Into Success

Amazon likes to work backwards, you should too.

Code for Brains, Not Computers

Or Neurons, not transistors, if you prefer.

Git Gardening

Git’s “branch” terminology captures the nature of divergence from the trunk, but fails to convey any meaning for the convergence (branches don’t “merge” in nature).

Commits to Read Like Your Terminal History

Write commit messages like they are commands for how to modify the code: e.g. Remove file X rather than Removed file X or Removing file X. Leave out distracting words and tense.

The 4 Is of Pull Requests

An effective code review process is able to prevent small or urgent review getting stuck behind large or non-urgent items.

Your First Reviewer Is a Duck

Rubber duck your own pull requests.

Lessons Learned Working With Sass and CSS Variables

Here’s how I’m currently thinking about CSS, Sass and CSS variables, and what I’d recommend.

Using CSS and Sass to Encode Measurement Types

CSS requires properties to be expressed in low-level units that are readily available for the machines evaluating them: integers (positive and negative) and decimals (floating point numbers). These are not, however, the optimal units to express many measurements. It’s up to developers to have the awareness and discipline to select and encode them in a way that expresses the semantics of the underlying properties.