the death of the architect

October 30, 2024

Once upon a time, every project began with the creation of a canonical design document. This was called the system architecture, because it "rightly...

making things better

October 23, 2024

Previously, we explored how abstract explanations, paired with intent, become specific. And in our case, the intent is almost always to improve our software....

intent and implication

October 16, 2024

There was, in the mid 2010s, a popular formula for explaining a new startup: "Uber, but for ____." This was a metaphor: the startup, despite targeting a...

structures as paths

October 9, 2024

In the fractal-metaphor, our software is an open space. Each reader traverses that space, noting new details as they come into view. When our software is...

decoupling in depth

October 2, 2024

In his influential paper On the Criteria To Be Used in Decomposing Systems into Modules, David L. Parnas offers some simple, timeless advice: if two things...

similar, but different

September 25, 2024

In the software design literature, cohesion is often referred to by a different name: single responsibility. As Sandi Metz explains it: When everything in a...

transparent like frosted glass

September 18, 2024

Sherry Turkle wrote her study of the culture of computing, The Second Self, "on an Apple II computer that had, quite literally, been torn bare."1 Its...

the simplicity of a fractal

September 10, 2024

Previously, we've looked at code generation in both Rails and Thrift. But unlike Thrift, the code generated by Rails is meant to be changed. Any change is...

the simplicity of a limb

September 3, 2024

In their paper on Evolvability, Marc Kirschner and John Gerhart discuss the separation of concerns within our genetic code. They pay special attention to...

better explanations through coupling

August 27, 2024

Previously, we explored how coupling and cohesion are not separable concepts. When our software is cohesive, everything fits. Each part is shaped by its...

glossary

August 23, 2024

complexity The sum of every explanation. Weighted heavily towards future explanations. Measured in bits, but only relative to your audience's expectations....

coupling as co-explanation

August 20, 2024

Previously, I provided a brief introduction to this newsletter, and then analyzed the structure of explanations in software development. For many in the...

the anatomy of an explanation

August 12, 2024

Previously, I provided a brief introduction to the ideas that will be covered in this newsletter. Software development can be reduced to a single, iterative...

a brief introduction

August 6, 2024

As software designers, our goal is to reduce complexity. We want our software to be easier to understand, and easier to change. These are not distinct...