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How-to guides, tooling tips and real-world advice for developers and product managers tired of broken software. Let’s fix this mess together.

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Line drawing of a rocky mountain peak with a base camp and people building structures

Quality you can’t generate: AI is only as good as your constraints

AI changed the cost structure of software. It didn't change the value structure. The value is no longer the code you write. It's the taste, judgment, and constraints you encode into the system that shapes what AI produces.

Dave Mosher

A figure looks off towards the horizon. On the left is a giant robot, on the right a splash of vibrant color, connected nodes and a city unfurl.

Why we're not chasing the AI hype (And what we're doing instead)

Todd Kaufman

Speed is a side effect of making the system work

Doc Norton

Maximize software investment

Rubber duck in fedora and trench coat stands next to a vintage microphone

IndyPy Talk: Pydantically perfect in every way

Kyle Adams

Software tooling & tips

Double Takes

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Double Takes

TDDing with Claude is like having a pair that removes all the failing assertions every time you go to the bathroom.

Steve Jackson

State machines are the answer for those seeking determinism in the era of AI agents.

Dave Mosher

A Slack conversation left Doc reflecting on what bug bashes say about the systems we work in.

Doc Norton

Test-driven development is to programming what double-entry bookkeeping is to accounting.

Neal Lindsay

The fundamental character flaw of the software creator is not the misguided belief that they can solve any problem with software. Instead, it is the belief they can understand how their own software works before they create it.

Steve Jackson

We may need a SaaS appendix for Zawinski's law:

Any SaaS platform attempts to expand until it is a social network.

Matt Jones

Kid looks through a magnifying glass at toy bugs

How to debug dependencies with git bisect

Debugging dependencies? Here's how git bisect can save your day!

Justin Searls

Accelerate quality software

testing

Retro sign reading It's Easy

How to stop hating your tests

Justin Searls' RubyConf 2015 talk that analyzes common reasons teams become disillusioned with tests, and offers targeted advice to help prevent these problems from ever materializing by tweaking tools, workflow, and perspective.

Justin Searls

teams

testing

conference-talk

developer-experience

White puffy clouds against a neon green background

Deploy Ember app on AWS with SSL and CloudFront

Looking to secure your Ember app with SSL? Check out this step-by-step guide on deploying your Ember app on AWS using S3 and CloudFront. It's easier than you think!

Kevin Pfefferle

Kevin Pfefferle

DevOps & security

ember

aws

cloud

testing

Avoid these pitfalls of buying custom software development

Navigating custom software development can be tricky. Discover how to avoid common pitfalls and build a successful partnership with the right agency.

Todd Kaufman

Maximize software investment

budgeting

software-purchase

My favorite way to TDD

My favorite way to TDD

Test Double co-founder Justin Searls shares his discovery testing approach to using test doubles in this four part video series, including explaining when test doubles should be used and when they shouldn't.

Justin Searls

testing

productivity

Finding joy at work

Finding joy at work as a founder

Starting your own business is the most risky and stress ridden path to joy you can imagine. Test Double CEO & Co-founder shares challenges, mistakes, and successes from his pursuit of joy at work.

Todd Kaufman

Communication & teams

teams

communication

Justin Serals speaking next to a screen showing a brain with a circle cross out symbol

Sometimes a controller is just a controller

Justin Searls argued in his RailsConf 2015 talk that flaws in our assumptions about code quality led to needless negative impact on individuals, teams, our community, and the industry. Sometimes boring code is what you need.

Justin Searls

Accelerate quality software

ruby

rails

conference-talk

What you need to know for a test setup in Rails applications

Ever feel overwhelmed by the Rails test setup? Discover insider tips to streamline your testing process and avoid common pitfalls.

Justin Searls

testing

rails

You're N.E.A.T.!

Technology is a means to an end: answers to very human questions. We want to connect with other folks who share that belief.

Ways to connect

Test Double Executive Leadership Team

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