2023 - A Critical Scientific Perspective on Software Craft

Glasses with scientific papers on one side and the TDD cycle on the other

Abstract

Software craft, Clean Code, TDD. These terms are currently prominent in discussions on software development. The significant influence of these “best practices” may seem odd compared to their moderate adoption by the industry. Is the industry mistaken, or are software craft practitioners missing something?

It’s difficult to answer that question when you’re part of the convinced craft practitioners.

To help me navigate this dilemma and bring objectivity to my reflections, I started reading scientific papers on software development methods four years ago. This approach has provided me with useful answers and, more importantly, better questions. If you’re wondering:

  • Are small functions better?
  • Does Clean Code work in practice?
  • Does it make sense to do Test Driven Development and not start with a test?

We will cover it in this conference, with scientific sources to be accurate and drawings to make the content easily accessible.

/!\ Warning: The counterintuitive results presented in this talk may offend the sensibilities of those who are a little too attached to their practices. :-)

Slides

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