Writing; C Vu Magazine Columns (for January/March/May)

Spectacularly late, but I ought to keep the records up to date:

• My January 2016 C Vu magazine column was Bug Hunting (Part 2), concluding my series on finding and fixing software faults.
• My March 2016 column was Software Development Is..., an investigation of the finer details (the art, craft, science, and, well... gardening) of the programmer's world.
• My May 2016 column was Organised Chaos, a look at how the programmer can stay focused and organised.

Writing: Bug hunting (part 1)

The latest C Vu magazine has hit respectable doormats the world over. It contains my latest column, entitled "Bug Hunting". You'll never guess what it's about.

Writing: More magazine columns

I've been remiss at posting news of my recent magazine columns.

C Vu issue 27.2 carried a column entitled Wallowing in Filth, about how to deal with messy code. C Vu 27.3's column was called Coding Dinosaurs, and discussed how to avoid become an extinct coder.

Speaking: ACCU 2015

I'm pleased to announce that I'll be delivering the opening keynote at the awesome ACCU 2015 developer conference in Bristol this April. The talk is called "Becoming a Better Programmer" (it's no coincidence that this is the same title as my new book and my magazine column).

I'm really looking forward to it. I think it'll be great fun and, hopefully, really useful.

The session synopsis is:

You've come this conference to improve your skills. You're here to learn: to learn new technologies, to learn new techniques, and to fuel your passion by meeting like-minded people. 

Becoming a better programmer means more than just learning new technologies. It means more than practising techniques and idioms. It's about more than passion and attitude. It's the combination of all these things. That's what this session will look at. 

Pete Goodliffe, author of the new book Becoming a Better Programmer, unpacks important mindsets and techniques that will help you improve as a programmer.
You'll discover specific tools that will help you review your current skillset, and you'll learn techniques to help you “become a better programmer”.

More info about my session is available here.

Writing: Coders Causing Conflict

My latest Becoming a Better Programmer column is published in the March issue of C Vu magazine (27.1). It's called Coders Causing Conflict and investigates how "conflict" can be a driving force for good in software development. It's quite an interesting topic, and one worth thinking about.

I realise that I failed to announce my previous few C Vu columns here. So, as a recap:

• In January (C Vu 26.6) I published Advice for the Young at Heart, considering how to give career advice to new programmers.
• In November 2014 (C Vu 26.5) I published Playing by the Rules which looks at developing "tribal rules" for your development team to help it work most effectively.

C Vu is a magazine produced by the ACCU - an excellent organisation for programmers. It has a great community, great publications, and an awesome conference. Check it out.

Writing: Testing Times

My latest Becoming a Better Programmer column is published in the September issue of C Vu magazine (26.4). It called Testing Times and surveys the world of developer testing, covering the what, why, and how of programmer-driven testing. We look at feedback loops, TDD, unit testing, integration testing, system testing and more.

C Vu is a magazine produced by the ACCU - an excellent organisation for programmers. It has a great community, great publications, and an awesome conference. Check it out.

Meanwhile, my book: Becoming a Better Programmer, is nearing print. It's gone through tech review, copy edit, and layout is almost complete. You can still access the early release at http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920033929.do.

Writing: Nothing is Set in Stone

My latest Becoming a Better Programmer column is published in the July issue of CVu magazine (26.3). It called Nothing is Set in Stone. It talks about the soft nature of software, and how to make fearless changes.

Speaking: Words in Code

The slides from my ACCU 2014 talk, Words in Code, are available on SlideShare, from http://www.slideshare.net/petegoodliffe/words-in-code.

Here's the synopsis:

As software developers we do not just write code. We write many, many words too.

We write documentation, comments, manuals, specifications, technical articles, wiki documentation, and more. Maybe even magazine articles and books.

This talk discusses some practicalities of writing well, both stylistically and practically. We'll talk about prose, but also about the right "geek" way of writing, the storage formats, toolchains, and the storage of our words.

We'll cover:
- writing style
- what's appropriate: what to write what not to write
- keeping track: "source control" for words
- toolchains: what toolsets to use to write and prepare output
- markup languages vs "wysiwyg" tools
- sharing your words with non-geeks

At the end of this talk, you'll have a good idea how to put together an example "document toolchain" taking source-controlled words in a humane markup style, and creating high-quality HTML, PDF (fully styled, print-ready) ePub and Kindle output, as well as Word-friendly versions.

Speaking: Words in Code (ACCU 2014)

I'll be speaking at this year's excellent ACCU Conference 2014.

This year my talk is: Words in Code, a technical (and not so technical) appraisal of how developers write. It's a practical distillation of my fourteen years as a magazine columnist, multiple book projects, and more.

Come and enjoy it on Thursday 10th April at 10am. The conference's earlybird booking deadline is February the 14th. ACCU is one of the highlights of my developer year - it's a truly excellent conference. If you've not considered going, check it out!

The full synopsis is available on the session page:

As software developers we do not just write code. We write many, many words too.
We write documentation, comments, manuals, specifications, technical articles, wiki documentation, and more. Maybe even magazine articles and books.
This talk discusses some practicalities of writing well, both stylistically and practically. We'll talk about prose, but also about the right "geek" way of writing, the storage formats, toolchains, and the storage of our words.
We'll cover:

• writing style
• what's appropriate: what to write what not to write
• keeping track: "source control" for words
• toolchains: what toolsets to use to write and prepare output
• markup languages vs "wysiwyg" tools
• sharing your words with non-geeks

At the end of this talk, you'll have a good idea how to put together an example "document toolchain" taking source-controlled words in a humane markup style, and creating high-quality HTML, PDF (fully styled, print-ready) ePub and Kindle output, as well as Word-friendly versions.

Writing: The Ethical Programmer (Part 2)

My latest Becoming a Better Programmer column was published in the November CVu (25.5). It's the second part of my mini-series on The Ethical Programmer.

This instalment deals with our attitudes towards other people, and finally formulates our own Hippocodic Oath; the programmer's equivalent of the Hippocratic Oath.

Writing: The Ethical Programmer

The latest C Vu magazine from ACCU is out now. It contains my latest Becoming a Better Programer column. This month it's called The Ethical Programmer; the first instalment of a two-part series on ethics and the modern programmer. Gripping stuff.

This month, I look at our attitudes, at legal issues, and discuss software licenses.

To make the world a better place, you can enjoy a picture of some old rope, and a chicken. I also throw in some bad puns.

Writing: Bug Hunting

The latest  C Vu magazine from ACCU is out now. It contains my latest Becoming a Better Programer column. This month it's called Bug Hunting and, as you might guess, is about the art of debugging code.

This was inspired by conversations with Greg Law in the lead up to the 2013 ACCU conference.

Speaking: ACCU 2013

I'll be speaking at the ACCU 2013 software developer's conference in Bristol this April.

The session title is "Becoming a Better Programmer" (which you may have noticed has become a long-running theme with my recent work).

It promises to be a fun informative session with a few special guests and some twists.

As ever, this is set to be an excellent conference. You can check out more details on the conference website.

Writing: The Art of Software Development

The March issue of ACCU's C Vu magazine is out now. It contains my latest Becoming a Better Programmer column. This one is called The Art of Software Development. A little light relief for my column faithful.

Writing: Navigating a Route

The January issue of ACCU's C Vu magazine is out now. It contains my latest Becoming a Better Programmer column. This one is called Navigating a Route. It talks about how to learn a new codebase, navigate a routine into the system, and understand how to fix and extend the code correctly. It's a skill everyone needs!

Writing: The Advanced Coding Test

The latest issue of ACCU's CVu Magazine is out now. It contains my latest Becoming a Better Programmer column, The Advanced Coding Test. In it I present a thought experiment comparing the act of coding to driving. (Well, they do both occasionally lead to crashes, after all).

Writing: The Curious Case of the Frozen Code

The latest issue of ACCU's CVu Magazine is out now. It contains my latest Becoming a Better Programmer column, The Curious Case of the Frozen Code. I present an investigation of the (mythical) state of code freeze, and the edifices of development process we erect around it.

Writing: The Art of Software Development

The latest issue of ACCU's CVu Magazine is out now. It contains my latest Becoming a Better Programmer column, The Art of Software Development. This time I present a fun little diversion for your reading delight, your visual delectation, and to stimulate your development prowess.

On the cover you can just about make out some pseudo-UML I once scribbled on a whiteboard in the vein hope of understanding someone else's tangled code structure.

Writing: Our Differences Make Us Stronger

The May 2012 C Vu magazine is out now - it contains my latest column, Our Differences Make Us Stronger. This is the second part of my discussion of how a development team must interact with the QA department to craft excellent software.

Find out more details from the ACCU website.

Writing: Getting One Past the Goalpost

Last week I approved the printed cover proofs for the March issue of ACCU's CVu magazine, so it will be landing on doormats very shortly.

It contains the latest instalment in my Becoming a Better Programmer column. This one's called Getting One Past the Goalpost, the first in a two-part series investigating how software developers interact with the QA team. It's a look at how we can foster constructive relationships and a positive development process.

For this month's cover, I was thinking about colour, and different colours models. This is reflected in the illustrations I've incorporated.