Talk: Compassionate Refactoring
Speakers directory
Speaker:
Clare Sudbery
Talk description
Title:
Compassionate Refactoring
Short synopsis:
Many things stand in the way of refactoring: The obvious one is time. This is a real problem, and in this talk I will discuss ways of addressing it. But one constraint that isn't often discussed is a lack of compassion. This doesn't only come from others, it comes from ourselves. Refactoring shouldn't be something that happens after the fact - it should be, and can be, part of every day development. This talk is about kindness and forgiveness, and the paradox that the more you accept and handle bad code, the more likely it is that you will end up with good code.
Max size: 500 chars
Long synopsis (optional):
Most coders wish they were refactoring their code more than they are. Many things stand in our way (or so we think): The obvious one is time, and the associated pressure from our stakeholders. This is a real problem, and in this talk I will discuss ways of addressing it. But one constraint that isn't often discussed is a lack of compassion. This doesn't only come from others, it comes from ourselves. We don't forgive ourselves when we write bad code. We think it's all or nothing. We mutter about the trail of bad code left by our forbears and feel guilty about the bad code we leave behind ourselves. Refactoring shouldn't be something that happens after the fact - it should be, and can be, part of every day development. But before we write good code we have to write bad code, and that's OK. As with most creative endeavours if you insist on making the first draft perfect you will never get anything out the door. This talk is about kindness and forgiveness, and the paradox that the more you accept and handle bad code, the more likely it is that you will end up with good code. Note: I'm currently collaborating with Martin Fowler on a series of "compassionate refactoring" articles for his website. These should be published well before your conference and will help to publicise this talk.
Max size: 5000 chars
Tags:
Speaker directory:
Listed in directory
Not listed
Speakers directory