I’ve seen many instances of “gatekeeping” now, in the 2020s. Senior developers warn “there be dragons” while announcing a “hands off” policy toward critical areas of their code base. The code has become too fragile to touch, too costly to change. The Dragon Wrangling Pattern provides a framework for allowing newer developers, or persons new […]

As our codebases become ever more complex, the cost of change rises as well. Any change or enhancement carries a risk of breaking something else. The problem is even more acute for people new to the project who’ve not yet learned the pitfalls waiting in that particular codebase. This month we’ll be examining the problem […]

How do the building blocks come together to form a whole? Most resources on Design Patterns look at each pattern in isolation, allowing you to focus on the pattern and its uses without being distracted by side issues. What’s missing, I have found, are examples of fitting those patterns into a working system. This month we’ll look at a feature involving […]