problem:Developers struggle to maintain code consistency, negatively affecting code maintainability and reliability.
description:Maintaining a consistent coding style within a team, using automation and documentation to enforce it.
Beck describes a project methodology that focusses on the daily practices developers can use, in order to achieve results in a faster, reliable, and sustainable way. While other methodologies dive into team structure, and management, Beck and Andres decided to stick to reusable practices that can be applied in most settings. This book popularized the ideas of “Test Driven Development” and “Pair Programming”, and is a must read for any developer that is looking to increase their knowledge of project approaches and the technical practices that support them.
Aimed at novice programmers, and those without a formal computer science background, this book teaches you how to automate parts of your working life. Using python, the reader is first guided through some programming basics, before diving in to practical examples of automation in real-world contexts. Examples include: Automated emails, cleaning files on your machine, converting documents from one format to another, and creating excel sheets.
Known as the ‘Gang of Four,’ the authors of this book have contributed significantly to the field of software development. Their work serves as a foundational text in the discipline.
In the book, they present a collection of programming structures in the form of design patterns.
These patterns explain when and how to apply them, as well as their potential drawbacks.
While some of the advice in the book, particularly those related to inheritance, may be considered outdated in contemporary software development,
the core concepts remain relevant.
The ‘Gang of Four’ patterns provide valuable insights into addressing challenges like extensibility, maintainability, and encapsulation.
They offer tried and tested approaches to structuring software, making it a valuable resource for any programmer or software engineer.
The authors provide invaluable insights into achieving well-structured code safely, even in the context of modern Integrated Development Environments (IDEs).
While the book’s examples use Java, the underlying concepts are language-agnostic.
Whether you work with a programming language or a scripting language, the principles and techniques discussed here are universally applicable.
For those with an particularly strong aversion to Java, a recent edition of the book showcases the same techniques using TypeScript.
Whichever edition you choose, “Refactoring” offers timeless wisdom for enhancing your code quality.