+++
transparent = true
title = "Things I Learnt The Hard Way (In 30 Years of Software Development)"
template = "section-contentless.html"
+++

* [Intro](intro)
* [Disclaimer](disclaimer)

* Programming
	* Before you start writing code...
		* [Spec First, Then Code](spec-first)
		* [Write Steps as Comments](steps-as-comments)
		* [Gherkin Is Your Friend to Understand Expectations](gherkin)
		* [Design Patters Are Used to Name Solution, Not Find Them](patterns-not-solutions)
		* [Thinking Data Flow Beats Patterns](data-flow)
		* [The Magic Number Seven, Plus Or Minus Two](magical-number-seven)
		* [Cognitive Cost Is The Readability Killer](cognitive-cost)
		* [Learn The Basics of Functional Programming](functional-programming)
	* Testing Software
		* [Unit Tests Are Good, Integration Tests Are Gooder](integration-tests)
		* [Testing Every Function Creates Dead Code](tests-dead-code)
		* [Tests Make Better APIs](tests-apis)
		* [Make Tests That You Know How To Run On The Command Line](tests-in-the-command-line)
		* [Good Languages Come With Tests](languages-tests)
	* Documenting your code
		* [Documentation Is A Love Letter To Your Future Self](document-it)
		* [The Function Documentation Is Its Contract](document-is-contract)
		* [If A Function Description Includes An "And", It's Wrong](document-and)
		* [Good Languages Come With Integrated Documentation](languages-docs)
	* Writing code
		* [Be Ready To Throw Your Code Away](throw-away)
		* [Future Thinking Is Future Trashing](future-trashing)
		* [Don't Use Booleans As Parameters](boolean-parameters)
		* [Beware of Interface Changes](interface-changes)
		* [It's Better To Let The Application Crash Than Do Nothing](crash-it)
		* [If You Know How To Handle It, Handle It](handle-it)
		* [Types Say What Your Data Is](data-types)
		* [If Your Data Has a Schema, Use a Structure](use-structures)
		* [Don't Mess With Things Outside Your Project](outside-project)
* Community/Teams
	* [A Language Is Much More Than A Language](languages-are-more)
	* [Understand And Stay Away From Cargo Cult](cargo-cult)
	* ["Right Tool For The Job" Is Just To Push An Agenda](right-tool-agenda)
	* [The Right Tool Is More Obvious Than You Think](right-tool-obvious)