The hottest Code Quality Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

🤖 OpenAI Reveals AI’s No Match for Human Coders

HackerPulse Dispatch • 5 implied HN points • 25 Feb 25
🕹 Technology AI Programming Software Development Code Quality
  1. AI still struggles with real coding tasks despite being fast. It often fails to diagnose bugs or offer reliable solutions, proving that human coders are still needed.
  2. Using AI tools can make coding easier but might hurt learning. New programmers miss out on important problem-solving experiences that come from debugging and experimenting with code.
  3. AI-generated code can lead to more issues, like code duplication and technical debt. While it helps with productivity, it can also create long-term maintenance challenges.

The Pythonic Emptiness

Confessions of a Code Addict • 529 implied HN points • 09 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Programming Software Development Computer Science Data Structures Code Quality
  1. In Python, you can check if a list is empty by using 'if not mylist' instead of 'if len(mylist) == 0'. This way is faster and is more widely accepted as the Pythonic approach.
  2. Some people find the truthiness method confusing, but it often boils down to bad coding practices, like unclear variable names. Keeping your code clean and well-named can make this style clearer and more readable.
  3. Using 'len()' to check for emptiness isn't wrong, but you should choose based on your situation. The main point is that the Pythonic method isn't ambiguous; it just needs proper context and quality coding.

Legacy Shmegacy

David Reis on Software • 76 implied HN points • 24 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Software Engineering Code Quality Team Collaboration
  1. Legacy code often gets that label just because newer programmers don’t understand it. The core issue is usually about people, not the actual code quality.
  2. To avoid creating legacy code, focus on writing clear and simple code that others can easily understand, and engage in practices like mentoring and pair programming.
  3. When dealing with legacy code, try to understand it fully before deciding to rewrite it. Often, working with what's there and improving it gradually is the better choice.

The AI Shift: Preparing for What’s Next

Dev Interrupted • 32 implied HN points • 05 Dec 24
🕹 Technology AI Tools Software Development Workflows Talent Acquisition Code Quality
  1. AI tools can help developers work faster, but they need to be careful about the quality of the code. It's important for developers to review what AI produces to ensure it meets necessary standards.
  2. AI is a permanent part of software development, but it has its flaws. Many AI-generated codes can be incorrect, so developers should set up proper checks to keep the software secure and reliable.
  3. To prevent burnout and improve productivity, developers should focus on important projects and let automation tools help with code reviews. Changing hiring practices can also help bring in fresh talent and support better workflows.

Avoid these Mistakes if you are Android Developers

Better Engineers • 19 implied HN points • 18 Jul 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Programming Languages Code Quality Career growth
  1. Avoid common mistakes like leaving commented code and using hardcoded values. These habits can help make your code cleaner and more reliable.
  2. Develop strong code review skills to give helpful feedback and improve your team's coding practices. This will also help you grow as a developer.
  3. Focus on scalability by breaking down large features into smaller tasks and using modern tools and concepts. This approach will make your projects easier to manage as they grow.
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Technical Debt 101: A Short Quick Guide

Weekend Developer • 19 implied HN points • 31 May 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Code Quality Project management Testing
  1. Technical debt is like borrowing time when you write code shortcuts that need to be revised later, similar to financial debt repayment with interest.
  2. Ways technical debt can occur: rushed development, lack of documentation, poor testing, ignoring refactoring, avoiding version upgrades, and lacking developer tools.
  3. Consequences of excessive technical debt include decreased productivity, increased bugs, higher costs, team morale issues, and security risks; managing it involves prioritizing refactoring, writing tests, documenting, reviewing code, and communicating with stakeholders.

The need for beautiful code

Wednesday Wisdom • 56 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Software Engineering Code Quality Code Reviews Maintenance Team Collaboration
  1. Investing time in writing beautiful code is crucial for code longevity and maintainability.
  2. Code that 'mostly works' is not the standard to aim for; focus on creating code that is always functional and meets significant requirements.
  3. Developing a culture of producing beautiful code in a team requires more than guidelines and prizes; it involves a collective shift in mindset and commitment.

To hack or not to hack

Sunday Letters • 179 implied HN points • 24 Jan 22
🕹 Technology Software Development Programming Software Engineering Code Quality Technical Debt
  1. In software development, it's a challenge to choose between making a general solution or focusing on a specific problem. Both approaches have their pros and cons.
  2. If you hack your code without planning, it can become messy and hard to manage. But if you overthink it and try to make it too general too soon, you might waste time and effort.
  3. To find the right balance, ask how hard it is to change things later and how long the general solution will take to pay off. It's about making smart decisions based on the problem at hand.

Let's add a whole bunch of simplicity

Sunday Letters • 119 implied HN points • 15 Nov 21
🕹 Technology Software Design User Experience Code Quality Product Development
  1. Simplicity is about removing complexity, not adding it. We often think we can just make things easier, but the reality is that we have to eliminate the complicated parts.
  2. To create simplicity, we should clearly define our goals. Understanding exactly what we need to do helps us focus and decide what to avoid.
  3. Finding the simplest version of a project may mean letting go of features you like. It's important to be disciplined and recognize that simplifying can sometimes feel uncomfortable.

Episode 40: Better Built By Burkhard

burkhardstubert • 19 implied HN points • 15 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Software Development Continuous Integration Code Quality
  1. I/O-free tests are better for Test-Driven Development (TDD) because they are faster, isolated, and repeatable. This makes them more suitable for writing reliable software.
  2. It doesn't really matter if tests are labeled as unit, integration, or acceptance tests. What matters is how easy they are to write and how quickly they run.
  3. Successful software development practices like pair programming require a supportive company culture and a willingness from each developer to learn and adapt.

Refactoring BabyAGI - Code Quality and LLMs

Laszlo’s Newsletter • 27 implied HN points • 04 May 23
🕹 Technology Code Quality Design Patterns Refactoring
  1. When refactoring code, it's important to move code into service classes for better organization and readability.
  2. Utilize constants and parameters closer to their use for easier handling of configurations and serialization/deserialization.
  3. Consider refactoring to address code smells like 'Feature Envy' and 'Primitive Obsession' to improve code maintainability and readability.

Good Comment, Bad Comment

David Reis on Software • 5 implied HN points • 09 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Software Engineering Code Quality Best Practices Programming Languages Developer Tools Technical Writing
  1. Many new programmers think that not commenting code is a sign of good practice because of the idea that 'clean code has no comments.' This leads to less readable code.
  2. Good code should be easily understood, but comments can help clarify complex parts when necessary. It's okay to use comments to explain why something is done a certain way.
  3. Writers should be careful with popular ideas that seem easy and convenient, as they can sometimes oversimplify important concepts and lead people to misunderstand or misuse them.

How Data Scientists can sell "Tech Debt" to their managers?

Laszlo’s Newsletter • 5 implied HN points • 04 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Data science Tech Debt Code Quality
  1. Bad code wastes company resources by making the team spend more time on fixes. Refactoring can free up time for working on features.
  2. Mildly bad code slows down new feature delivery. Refactoring can make the team faster and deliver more features in less time.
  3. In data science projects, data quality issues can lead to excessive time spent on bug fixing, emphasizing the need for refactoring to increase efficiency.

Why are non-DRY specs more maintainable?

The Daily Developer • 2 HN points • 20 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Code Quality
  1. Non-DRY specs prioritize duplication over the wrong abstraction, promoting simple code with locality over complexity.
  2. Locality in code refers to its ability to be easily understood without relying on larger context, making it more maintainable.
  3. Compression in code, which requires understanding context, is seen as the wrong abstraction, leading to complexity and less maintainable code.

Episode 15: Burkhard on Qt Embedded Systems

burkhardstubert • 19 implied HN points • 28 Feb 21
🕹 Technology Embedded Systems Software Development Code Quality Programming
  1. There are events happening for Qt embedded systems, and the deadlines for presenting are coming up soon. If you want to share your work, make sure to submit your proposals on time!
  2. When writing code, it's important to make it readable by using good names and comments. Bad names should be replaced with clearer function names instead of relying on comments to explain them.
  3. Focus on breaking down your code into smaller, manageable functions. Each function should do one task well, which makes it easier to read and understand.

The Case for Nitpicking

David Reis on Software • 2 HN points • 18 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Code Quality Engineering Culture Best Practices Team Collaboration
  1. Nitpicking in code reviews can lead to better code quality and a stronger engineering culture. It's important to discuss style and best practices instead of ignoring them.
  2. Good taste in code exists and is based on collective standards among practitioners. Competent programmers can generally agree on what makes code better, like readability and consistency.
  3. Having a style guide helps streamline code reviews and makes discussions less personal. It sets clear expectations and allows for respectful and constructive feedback.

Tech Talks Weekly #12 🎉

Tech Talks Weekly • 0 implied HN points • 02 May 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Programming Languages Tech Conferences Web Development Code Quality
  1. This week's Tech Talks Weekly features talks from various tech events, making it easy to discover new topics and speakers.
  2. Each featured talk now includes a short summary, which helps readers quickly find interesting subjects.
  3. The community is encouraged to give feedback via surveys to improve the content and experience of Tech Talks Weekly.

My experience building an app entirely via an LLM

Talking to Computers: The Email • 0 implied HN points • 14 Aug 24
🕹 Technology AI Tools Software Development User Experience Iterative design App Development Code Quality
  1. Using AI tools like Claude can speed up app development, especially for small coding tasks. But, it's not perfect and sometimes leads to unexpected issues.
  2. Designing the app can be tough, as AI might not help much with styling. You might end up doing more work to fix design flaws after the initial code is generated.
  3. Even when using an AI, having some coding knowledge is important. You still need to understand what changes to make and how to fix problems that come up.

Harden Product Quality by Refactoring Code Smells

🔮 Crafting Tech Teams • 0 implied HN points • 25 Jul 23
🕹 Technology Coding Refactoring Code Quality Design Patterns
  1. Understanding code smells can help improve product quality by enabling timely refactoring to address potential issues.
  2. Refactoring code smells involves following established methodologies that lead to better object-oriented design and the application of design patterns.
  3. Sandi Metz emphasizes the importance of continuous refactoring to maintain code quality, highlighting the value of small methods and classes.