The hottest Code Review Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

Life Update: Just Moved to SF Bay Area

clkao@substack • 99 implied HN points • 26 Aug 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Startup Culture Code Review Data Systems Workplace Trends
  1. The move to the Bay Area was inspired by a feeling of belonging and the need for a supportive environment for their startup, Recce.
  2. Recce aims to improve the code review process for data-centric software development, addressing new challenges in correctness and testing.
  3. The writer appreciates the help from friends during the move and looks forward to sharing more about their experiences in this new chapter.

Code Reviews, Not Code Approvals

Rethinking Software • 299 implied HN points • 03 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Remote work Project management Code Review Agile Methodology
  1. Asynchronous communication is key for remote work, allowing people to respond when they can without blocking others. This way, everyone can keep working on their own tasks without unnecessary interruptions.
  2. Traditional code reviews often act more like approvals, which can slow down progress and cause delays. It's better to think of them as a way to give feedback after code is deployed, not as a gatekeeping step.
  3. By changing code reviews to be more like reviews after deployment, teams can keep moving forward. This helps avoid bottlenecks and allows for quicker corrections and improvements in code.

Why Code Authors Should Have the Final Say on Code Reviews

Rethinking Software • 249 implied HN points • 27 Oct 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Code Review Agile methodologies Team Dynamics
  1. Code authors should have the final say in reviews to respect their expertise and autonomy. This helps them feel like true professionals.
  2. Mistakes in code are common and can be fixed quickly, so allowing authors to make decisions helps them learn and improve.
  3. Not all code needs to be perfect from the start, especially in the early stages of projects. Giving authors the control lets them decide how polished their work should be.

Fighting over Crumbs

Rethinking Software • 99 implied HN points • 30 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Project management Team Dynamics Organizational Behavior Code Review
  1. Many programmers feel like they have no control over their work, which can lead to unhealthy competition for the little power that exists. Instead of fighting for crumbs, they should focus on shared decision-making.
  2. Behaviors like land grabbing and excessive code reviews show that programmers crave autonomy but don't know how to get it responsibly. They need to find better ways to collaborate and share power, rather than hoarding it.
  3. Team leads and committees often create more bureaucracy and slow things down. Programmers should work more as peers, trust each other, and let go of the need for strict control to improve their work environment.

Software code reviews, and other empty rituals that waste time

Respectful Leadership • 54 implied HN points • 30 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Code Review Engineering Practices Team Management
  1. Code reviews take up too much time and energy without giving enough value back. Instead of focusing on comments from reviews, teams should focus on writing tests to catch real problems.
  2. It's better to trust the skills of experienced engineers rather than rely on code reviews. If engineers are good, they won’t need to second-guess each other's work.
  3. Instead of worrying about all possible issues, focus on real problems that can be tested and fixed. Don't waste time on imaginary problems that are unlikely to happen.
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The 11 Types Of Toxic Pull Requests (According To 4.5 Million Code Branches)

Dev Interrupted • 121 implied HN points • 31 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Software Engineering Code Review Workflow management Collaboration Continuous Integration
  1. Poorly managed pull requests can harm developer productivity by creating bottlenecks.
  2. Common issues in pull request management include lack of process, standardization, and visibility.
  3. Toxic pull requests can be categorized into 11 types, such as outdated code, lacking documentation, and risky changes.

Cracking the Code: Mastering the Art of Reading Code for New Developers

Weekend Developer • 19 implied HN points • 24 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Programming Code Review Development Process Learning Collaboration
  1. Effective code reading is crucial for new developers transitioning to team projects.
  2. Short on time? Quickly skim code for key elements like comments, naming, and test coverage.
  3. Investing more time in code review allows for deeper analysis, potential refactoring, and identification of tech debts.

The Busy Trap: How to Distinguish Being Busy from Being Productive

Wisdom over Waves • 3 HN points • 06 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Productivity Software Development Collaboration Code Review
  1. The bulk of a work item's lifecycle in software development is often spent waiting in queues, not in active development or QA activities, highlighting inefficiencies in the process.
  2. More planning and parallel tasks do not necessarily lead to increased productivity; streamlined processes and effective collaboration are key for true productivity.
  3. Individual busyness does not equate to team productivity; focusing on removing bottlenecks and promoting collaborative efforts leads to faster project timelines and meaningful progress.

💥 TTW #35: Design Patterns for Resilient Data Pipelines, Constructive Code Reviews, Exciting new features in C# 9 - 12, Async Functions In Python 2.1, Vertical Slice Architecture, ...

Tech Talks Weekly • 0 implied HN points • 31 Oct 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Data Engineering Programming Languages Code Review
  1. Data pipelines can be made more reliable by using specific design patterns. This helps in managing data flow more efficiently.
  2. Constructive code reviews are important for improving code quality. They can help developers learn and grow by giving helpful feedback.
  3. Learning about new features in programming languages like C# can enhance your coding skills. It's exciting to see how these changes can simplify tasks in software development.

Build it twice

Russell’s Index • 0 implied HN points • 11 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Software Development Prototyping Code Review Version Control Agile methodologies
  1. Start with a rough prototype to test ideas quickly. Don't worry about making it perfect; just get it to work and learn what you need.
  2. After your first build, take the time to create a cleaner, more polished version. You'll find it's easier because you've already discovered key challenges.
  3. Use your initial prototype as a reference, making it easier to improve and organize your code in a way that others can understand better.

5 Tasks from Open Source Emacs AI plugins where you can contribute

TGR • 0 implied HN points • 31 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Open Source AI Programming Code Review
  1. You can contribute to open source Emacs AI plugins through beginner-friendly tasks like providing utility functions and rewriting code in elisp.
  2. Tasks include updating hardcoded paths, integrating APIs, and switching to request.el for image variation implementation.
  3. Make Emacs packages compatible with newer AI models like GPT-3.5 turbo by updating the code accordingly.

#OpenSourceDiscovery 85: CodeRabbit AI PR Reviewer

#OpenSourceDiscovery • 0 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Code Review GitHub Open Source Developer Tools
  1. CodeRabbit AI PR Reviewer is an AI-powered GitHub action that reviews code by commenting on relevant code snippets and additional commits.
  2. The AI PR Reviewer offers high-quality contextual review comments and allows discussions with the bot, enhancing developer awareness of code quality.
  3. Though the bot's response to comments may take around 20-30 seconds, it complements human review workflows and enables teams to handle initial code reviews efficiently.

RDEL #16: What makes a code review useful?

Research-Driven Engineering Leadership • 0 implied HN points • 30 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Code Review Coding Engineering Research Collaboration
  1. Good code review comments can enhance a coder's skills and lead to better implementation.
  2. Certain factors like the number of iterations and author participation can impact the usefulness of code review comments.
  3. Maintaining a positive tone, having focused conversations, and keeping reviews manageable in size are key to improving the effectiveness of code reviews.

The Hidden Secrets of Design Patterns: What No One Talks About

Weekend Developer • 0 implied HN points • 22 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Design Patterns Code Review Refactoring Learning
  1. Understanding design patterns helps in building robust and maintainable software by providing standard solutions to common problems.
  2. Challenges of design patterns include a learning curve, potential overuse, and selecting the right pattern for the context.
  3. To effectively use design patterns, invest time in understanding them, assess if they are necessary, regularly review and refactor code, seek feedback from peers, and document pattern choices.

Improve Kotlin Code Review — Part II

Better Engineers • 0 implied HN points • 23 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Programming Software Development Code Review
  1. Using generics in Kotlin allows you to create code that can work with different types, making it more flexible and reusable. For example, you can create a box that holds any type of object.
  2. The 'in' and 'out' keywords help define how generic types can be used, allowing for safer and more organized code. The 'in' keyword is for consuming data, while 'out' is for producing it.
  3. Utility functions like 'applyIf' and 'withNotNull' help you write cleaner code by letting you conditionally run actions only when certain conditions are met or when values are not null.

Improve Kotlin Code Review Part -1

Better Engineers • 0 implied HN points • 28 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Programming Software Development Engineering Code Review
  1. Kotlin has specific types like Unit and Nothing that help clarify your code. Unit shows a function has no meaningful return, while Nothing indicates a function will never finish normally, like when it throws an error.
  2. Destructuring in Kotlin allows you to unpack data structures easily. You can assign multiple values from a list or map to variables in a single line, making your code cleaner and more organized.
  3. Type aliases in Kotlin let you create simpler names for existing types. This can make your code easier to read and understand by replacing complex types with more descriptive names.

Have Gordon Ramsay do your initial code review

Shrek's Substack • 0 implied HN points • 15 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Programming Software Code Review Development Artificial Intelligence
  1. Using humor in coding reviews can help remove ego and make feedback more enjoyable. It's like having a friend point out mistakes in a fun way.
  2. Modernizing outdated code is important. Just like using fresh ingredients in cooking, using current coding practices makes your code better.
  3. Clear names and proper documentation are key. Good code should be as easy to understand as a well-labeled recipe.