A poem by Chris Brackert
Good developers thoroughly test their own code. Bad developers expect someone else to find their bugs.
Good developers report bugs to the proper authority when they find them. Bad developers ignore bugs and blame others when things go wrong.
Good developers write code that they are proud of. Bad developers write code that just works.
Good developers ask good questions. Bad developers don't ask questions at all.
Good developers begin development only when the "what and why" of the task at hand is clear and acceptance criteria defined by the product owner is understood. Bad developers begin development based on vague requirements and wish lists.
Good developers make it known to others when they are stuck or blocked. Bad developers keep quiet when something is in their way.
Good developers are not afraid to make mistakes. Bad developers are concerned about looking good.
Good developers review their peers' code and give constructive feedback. Bad developers don't care enough about the code or their peers to leave review comments.
Good developers love to help and be helped. Bad developers like to work in isolation.
Good developers read the docs. Bad developers guess and check.
Good developers write the docs. Bad developers only write code.
Good developers keep it DRY. Bad developers re-write what is already written. Bad developers re-write what is already written. Bad developers...
Good developers know when to stop going down the rabbit hole. Bad developers let their curiosity get the best of them.
Good developers like to optimize code but know that readability is important too. Bad developers love to write complicated code to show how smart they are.
Good developers write code that writes code. Bad developers do all the hard work.
Good developers are not done until they understand why their code works. Bad developers are okay with getting lucky.
Good developers write commit messages that explain concisely what the commit does. Bad developers write commit messages that don't explain.
Good developers format commit messages that stylistically match the rest of the project. Bad developers write commit messages in whatever style they want.
Good developers create pull requests that fix the problem at hand; nothing more, nothing less. Bad developers add additional "fixes" to pull requests.
Good developers use clarification comments in code to explain non-intuitive solutions. Bad developers write complex code that requires clarification comments.
- Good Commit Messages by Chris Beams
- Code Review Best Practices by Kevin London
- The Pragmatic Programmer by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas
- Commenting Code by Bill Sourour
This poem was inspired by Ben Horowitz's Good Product Manager/Bad Product Manager.