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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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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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A tree made of LEGO with deep roots and a magnifying lens

Healthcare software teams keep fixing symptoms: Real problems run deeper

Healthcare engineering and product teams spend more time managing technology than improving care. Original survey data, industry research, and expert interviews reveal the macro trends and investment patterns holding healthcare software back in 2026.

Cathy Colliver

Legacy modernization

Ensō (Zen circle) with digital flourishes

🐍 Functionally Zen

Kyle Adams

Future-proof innovative software

Crab working on a tiny laptop in a sandbox on top of a desk with monitors in the background

Get in the box: Illustrated permissions guide to make Claude chill

Joé Dupuis

Nesting boxes unfold from decorative to scaffolding to hardware

We're about to unwind fifty years of "Progress"

Doc Norton

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

Surgical Refactors with Suture

Surgical Refactors with Suture

During Ruby Kaigi 2016, Justin Searls introduced Suture, a gem that simplifies legacy refactoring with a clear, repeatable workflow to boost confidence in legacy code changes.

Justin Searls

Legacy modernization

rails

ruby

testing

open-source

conference-talk

Happier TDD with testdouble.js

Happier TDD with testdouble.js

Quick, light-on-its-feet introduction to an unorthodox discipline of test driven development that Justin Searls termed Discovery Testing.

Justin Searls

testing

javascript

conference-talk

open-source

Make Ruby great again

Make Ruby great again

Justin Searls fills in for Sam Phippen's RSpec and Rails 5 talk at RailsConf 2016, and uses library changes as a jumping off point for a broader and timeless discussion of how developers relate to their tools over time.

Justin Searls

Software tooling & tips

consulting

ruby

testing

rails

developer-experience

Agent Dossier: Dave Mosher

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testdouble.js vs. sinon.js: Which is better for JavaScript testing?

Discover the key differences between testdouble.js and Sinon.js for JavaScript testing, and find out which library better suits your development needs.

Justin Searls

testing

javascript

teams

open-source

Birds flying together

Simplify your Rails projects with good migrations

Ever wished your Rails projects could handle migrations more smoothly? Meet 'good_migrations'—your new best friend in database management. Add it and forget it!

Justin Searls

Software tooling & tips

rails

ruby

Mastering React data flow: integrating with DOM-mutating plugins

Discover how to handle React's data flow when using plugins that mutate the DOM. Learn practical tips and avoid common pitfalls with this guide.

Dean Radcliffe

Software tooling & tips

react

testing

javascript

open-source

How to handle Git conflicts with empathy and care

Got a Git conflict? Stay calm and follow our empathetic approach to resolving code overlaps. Your code—and your colleagues—will thank you!

Kevin Baribeau

Software tooling & tips

testing

professional-growth

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