The document outlines habits of responsible programmers including writing clear and consistent code, testing code thoroughly, automating tasks through scripting, learning tools well, and optimizing for focus and flow. Key habits are separating commands from queries, refactoring code regularly, keeping classes and functions short, using version control properly, and establishing similar development and production environments. The goal is to write programs that are easy to understand, maintain, and extend over time through disciplined practices.

1. Habits of a Responsible
Programmer
Anders Janmyr
@andersjanmyr
http://anders.janmyr.com

2. Outline
• Definitions
• Programming
• Project
• Life, the Universe and Everything
• Summary

3. Definitions

4. Habit
An acquired behavior pattern,
regularly followed,
until it has become almost
involuntary
— dictionary.com

5. The Conscious Brain
Sequential and Slow

6. The Unconscious Brain
Parallel and Fast

7. Habits

8. Creating Habits
Outsourcing
to our
unconscious

9. Responsible
Accountable for something
within one's power or control
— dictionary.com

10. Why Be Responsible?

11. Programming

12. Typing
And as for this
non-college bullshit I
got two words for that:
learn to fuckin' type!
— Mr. Pink

13. Write Clear Code

14. Consistent
• Follow Conventions
• Constants: SCREAMING_SNAKE_CASE
• HTML Attributes: dash-er-ized
• API: Naming, Ordering, etc.

15. Don’t Quick Fix

16. Short Classes, Functions,
Parameter Lists

17. Short Classes, Functions,
Parameter Lists

18. Separate Commands
from Queries

19. Separate Commands
from Queries

20. External
Dependencies
• Use as few as practical
• Learn it well
• Wrap them

21. Refactor
Mercilessly
• When understanding changes
• Prevents bugs and frustration
• Don’t ask for permission!

22. Balance

23. Prefer Explicit
Explicit
Implicit
Specific
Concrete
Direct
Generic
Abstract
Indirect
function helloWorld() {
console.log(‘Hello World’);
}
function helloWorld() {
hello(‘World’);
}
function hello(thing) {
var m = ‘Hello ’+ thing;
console.log(m);
}

24. Learn Basic
Techniques
• Iteration and Recursion
• Conditional Code
• Functions and Closures
• Classes, Objects, Immutability

25. Simple vs. Easy
Simple
Singular
Does one thing
Is made of one thing
Easy
Close at hand
Familiar

26. Learn Advanced
Techniques
• Meta-objects and Reflection
• Monads and Continuations
• Events, Contracts, ...
• Actors, Message Queues, ...

27. Testing

28. The Scientific Method
Theory
Prediction
Observation
Experiment

29. What to Unit Test?
Message
Origin
Incoming
Sent to Self
Outgoing
Type
Query
Command
Assert
Assert
result
direct public
side effects
Ignore
Ignore
Expect
to send

30. Documentation

31. README
• Description
• Installation Instructions
• Usage Instructions
• Examples
• Pointers to more documentation

32. An Overview

33. System Overview
Drawing
Map
Description
A few pages
Servers
Databases
External services

34. Domain Overview
Drawing
Map
Description
A few pages
Bounded Context
Core Objects
Main supporting domains

35. Comments
ASSUMPTION:
As
Few As
Possible
TODO:
WTF:
Anything else

36. Tools
• The Editor
• The Version Control System
• The Command Line
• A scripting language
• Anything you use on a daily basis

37. The Editor

38. Version Control System

39. CV, legacy

40. CV, modern

41. http://commitlogsfromlastnight.com/

42. A Good Commit Message

43. Command Line
sudo lsof -nPi | grep LISTEN |
awk '{printf "%-20s%8s%20sn",$1,$2,$9}'
| sort | uniq

44. Scripting

45. What to script?
Alias
Verification
Deployment
Setup
Machines
Code
Generation
Watch
scripts
Editor
Macros

46. A bash function (≈alias)

47. Deploy new
Server

48. Go away,
or I will
replace you
with a very
small
shell script!

49. Environments

50. All
Environments
• Setup with
ONE command
• Scripts are continuously maintained

51. Production
• All configuration, dependencies
• Optimized for speed
• Configured for monitoring

52. Development
• As similar as possible to production
• Optimized for development speed
• Short feedback cycle
• Watchers, live reloading, auto
testing

53. Test
• Test Fixtures
• Mock services
• Recorded API interactions

54. Project

55. Compromise

56. Critique

57. Own It!

58. Why? Why? Why?

59. Estimation

60. It is better to
ask for
forgiveness than
to ask for
permission!
-- Grace Hopper

62. Flow

63. Focus

65. Know what makes you
happy!

66. Silva’s 4 rules of
happiness
1. If you like something, enjoy it!
2. If you don’t like something, avoid it!
3. If you don’t like something and can’t
avoid it, change it!
4. If you can’t or choose not to avoid or
change it, change your perception of it!

67. Urgent
≠
Important
Not Important
Not Urgent
Urgent
Important
✖
✔
✔

68. Relax

69. Summary
• Write clean code
• Test
• Script everything
• Learn your tools by heart
• Optimize for flow

70. Proud!

71. References
http://anders.janmyr.com
Habits of a
Responsible
Programmer
Anders Janmyr
@andersjanmyr
anders.janmyr@jayway.com