AI is already reshaping software development
AI coding assistants aren't just a better version of existing tools — they change the pace and the very nature of our craft.
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Thoughts on software development and architecture
Notes on architecture, code quality, data, agility and the craft, drawn from my experience.
Data and its structure are what really matter
Languages and tools are born and die. Data remains. Caring about its structure from the start is an investment in durability.
Read articleThe modular monolith, an underrated option
Between the classic monolith and microservices lies a third, often ideal path: the modular monolith, also known as the majestic monolith.
Read articleExceptions or return values: rethinking error handling
Error handling is one of the most misused aspects of programming. Separating the exceptional from the normal changes a lot.
Read articleCoupling and cohesion: 80% of programming
If I had to keep two ideas above all others in programming, they would be coupling and cohesion.
Read articleDo we really have to repay all technical debt?
Technical debt is often compared to a loan. But unlike financial debt, the goal isn't always to erase it — it's to keep it under control.
Read articleWriting tests before code: TDD explained simply
No, writing tests before the code isn't a mistake. It's the very principle of test-driven development — and it's a game changer.
Read articleDoes your code really need comments?
Developers read more code than they write. Do comments shorten that reading time, or do they get in the way?
Read articleAre you a software archaeologist?
That's what I call the developer who spends much of their time digging through code to find a bug or the right place to act. How can we dig less?
Read articleA good programmer, or good at programming?
Mastering a language isn't enough to be competent. The nuance between 'good at programming' and 'a good programmer' makes all the difference.
Read articleSQL is not dead
Many developers who are excellent at the web can't write a simple JOIN. Yet SQL is one of the few languages that will still be here decades from now.
Read articleStore your dates in UTC
Should you store dates in UTC in a database? Almost always yes. Here's why thinking global from the start saves you a lot of trouble.
Read articleEnvironments in software development
Before reaching users, an application moves through several environments. A quick tour of these stages and what each one is for.
Read articleScrum is not the same as agility
Running sprints and retrospectives doesn't make a team agile. Agility is first and foremost a manifesto, its values and its principles.
Read articleShould software also be beautiful?
We know software must be useful and performant. But does beauty really matter? I believe it does — and that it pays off.
Read articleDevelopers: should you aim for architecture to grow?
An experienced developer once shared his frustration about his salary. The conversation led straight to a question: how far can you grow while staying a developer?
Read articleWhy I love IT consulting
Switching projects regularly, discovering technologies, growing your network: consulting offers a learning ground that's hard to match.
Read articleFive years of experience… or one year five times?
A recruiter's question, asked early in my career, never left me. It separates experience that accumulates from experience that merely repeats.
Read articleFour people, one meeting, four different understandings
After a meeting meant to align us, we'd each understood a different version of the same topic. Here's how to avoid that kind of mix-up.
Read articleWhen everyone wants to decide everything, nothing moves
Interdisciplinary collaboration is an asset. But without clear role boundaries, it quickly turns into gridlock and frustration.
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