f3yourmind

I have no idea what I’ve gotten myself into now, but I’ve agreed to help out the Empirical Evaluation of Software Composition Techniques workshop will be held as part of the next Aspect Oriented Software Development conference.  I doubt I will attend ESCOT or AOSD but it will be good to collaborate once more with some very enlightening people that I met at OOPSLA last year.

I guess I’ve got quite a lot of reading coming up and it will be fun to read what is coming out of the research channels and cast my own weird industrial perspective on things

I think that TDD is getting bastardized.  If you happen to use a Unit testing framework, it does not mean that you are test driven at all.  TDD is about test first to drive the rest – design, clean code, feedback, quality, and lot more.  Using a testing framework is easy.  Being test first driven is really difficult.  You may start off with the mechanics and focus on the cadence, but you only feel the value a lot later – when you have woven it as an attitude into your fabric of thinking.

That’s why I’m giving the TEST FIRST TDD course next week.  If you want to go beyond just learning about an xUnit API and step on the path of a personal journey to changing the way you create software, then come along.  I don’t have miracles but I can do better than just shining a light.  I will step into the darkness with you and help you move towards the light.

If you hate reading lengthy blog posts and dig the mind map view of the world, then add Steve van der Merwe’s blog to your feed gadget.  What I really like is his short quick observations and great views about software development.  But for me, it’s even better that I get to speak to him regularly, in person.  If you’re in the Cape Town area, make a point of finding him and chatting to him.  He makes ubuntu real.

One of my contributions to 97 Things Every Programmer Should Know will be included in the book.  My good friend and colleague, Niclas Nilsson, also has a contribution which will be in the book as well.  But don’t just read mine, read all 97 and the amazing contributions that did not make it to the printed book as well.  I have know idea how Kevlin Henney managed to select these 97 things from so many contributions.

I know it’s absolutely insane to try to reduce Eric Evans’ amazing book into just a few pages, but stupidity won.  I think it’s still useful as a “next to the coffee mug on your desk thing” if you’re just starting off with DDD.  So download the free Domain Driven Design Reference Card at http://refcardz.dzone.com. Small warning: it’s not useful unless you’ve read Eric’s and/or Jimmy’s book or have attended a DDD course.

I’ve tried to keep it true to the book.  I’ve aslo added a reference to a couple of additional patterns right at the end, after some quick chats with Eric and Jimmy.  Given the space constraints, I decided to leave out the CQRS work.  It feels better anyway, since this meant as a cheat sheet for people starting out.