Interview: Make Software Better Magazine

Fog Creek's Make Software Better Magazine (Volume 1) includes an interview with me called "Go Beyond Code to Become a Better Programmer"."

You can download it for free from https://blog.fogcreek.com/make-better-software-magazine/.

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.

Speaking: XP Days Ukraine, 2015

I'm giving an opening presentation at XP Days Ukraine in October.

The talk is called Becoming a Better Programmer.

Find out more about this conference here. Looks like it will be really interesting.

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: CodeConf 2015

I'll be giving the closing keynote at GitHub's CodeConf 2015 in Nashville this month.

Find out more from the conference's website here: http://codeconf.com.

The talk is called Becoming a Better Programmer.

Interview: Fog Creek (Going Beyond Code to Become A Better Programmer)

I recently did a short interview with the guys at Fog Creek on the subject Becoming a Better Programmer. You can view it here.

It's a heroic editing effort! Between unreliable network connections and probably a 40 minute conversion they've heroically cut it down to ten minutes, and made me look rather like Max Headroom.

There's been lots of great feedback about this, so I'm glad it's inspiring people.

Writing: Becoming a Better Programmer

It's finally here!

My new book, Becoming a Better Programmer, is fully edited, laid out, and is now available as a final product for your reading pleasure, published by O'Reilly. You can purchase it in printed form or as a digital version for your e-reader of choice.

Find out more about the book from the O'Reilly product page. You can view the full table of contents there. Or head over to Amazon to purchase. If you are a Safari subscriber, you can read it here. Grab your iBook here.

The cover image is a flying fish. I'll leave it to your imagination to work out the significance.

It's great to finally see this labour of love come to fruition, and I do hope that stands as a useful resource for programmers today.

One of my favourite parts of the book is a family in-joke in the "advance praise" at the front. Nestled amongst the luminaries and expert programmers who graciously contributed their honest thoughts on the book is another very honest opinion:

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.

Writing: Becoming a Better Programmer

I am delighted to announce that I have signed a contract to publish my latest book, Becoming a Better Programmer with the excellent folks at O'Reilly.

You can find out more about the book from it's catalogue page at http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920033929.do.

We have now made an early access version available with a number of the chapters. It's already looking excellent, and I can't wait to get the final version out.

New Book: Becoming a Better Programmer

After many years of gestation my latest book is available for purchase as an early-access pre-release.

Called Becoming a Better Programmer, it is a handbook for people who are about code.

This early access edition already contains 14 chapters, and there are many more coming. There is a free "sample" version available so you get a taster of what you'll be purchasing.

As a pre-release, it's available at an introductory price. The price will go steadily upwards as the book nears completion. Buy now to enjoy the best value! (That's the sales pitch - I suck at that kind of thing.)

Get it from gum.co/becomingbetter. Join the book discussion here: moot.it/becomingbetter.

It would genuinely love to hear any feedback, praise or criticism that will help improve the book. Suggestions for topics to cover are also of real interest.

My honest hope is that this book does just what it says on the cover: helps many developers improve their skills, to become more productive programmers.

Buy it now!

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.