3 ms·

I think the problem with talking about understandable code is that we only talk about textual representation. We should break out of the ide and visualize code

I think the problem with talking about understandable code is that we only talk about textual representation. We should break out of the ide and visualize code more. I think then we would see the tangled mess we are creating. And then if we started talking about code that was cleanly visualized, we would truly have understandable code. We need two-way sync for visualizations of all data structures and data flows. And then we need to see the actual data values inline as it flows through the system as we read the code. Wallaby.js is a great leader in this space. I found it too hard to setup and too slow - but I’m convinced this applied to the entire stack is the future. We draw diagrams on the whiteboard to explain every system but they are completely absent when we actually code.

kcartlidge 4y ago
> And then we need to see the actual data values inline as it flows through the system as we read the code ... Wallaby.js is a great leader in this space It's a very under-appreciated feature, but I know what you mean. Alongside NCrunch, Wallaby is one of my most valuable purchases. For those not familiar with the feature being referred to, as a continuous test runner one of the great benefits is that the IDE plugins show the values of anything (variables etc) in your code, live. I don't mean some kind of hover-for-intellisense, but at the end of each line you see all the values for all the variables all the time. So in real-time, as you code, any tests covering the code you're changing are being run and you can see holistically how everything you're working on is changing as you type. Basic test runners run continuously on the command line. Better ones run in the background of your IDE, possibly adding coverage markers etc. Wallaby goes one step further and actually decorates your code with real values live in the IDE as you work. It's very good (though, yes, tricky to set up and a little slow).

kcartlidge 4y ago

> And then we need to see the actual data values inline as it flows through the system as we read the code ... Wallaby.js is a great leader in this space It's a very under-appreciated feature, but I know what you mean. Alongside NCrunch, Wallaby is one of my most valuable purchases. For those not familiar with the feature being referred to, as a continuous test runner one of the great benefits is that the IDE plugins show the values of anything (variables etc) in your code, live. I don't mean some kind of hover-for-intellisense, but at the end of each line you see all the values for all the variables all the time. So in real-time, as you code, any tests covering the code you're changing are being run and you can see holistically how everything you're working on is changing as you type. Basic test runners run continuously on the command line. Better ones run in the background of your IDE, possibly adding coverage markers etc. Wallaby goes one step further and actually decorates your code with real values live in the IDE as you work. It's very good (though, yes, tricky to set up and a little slow).