Code is Not Literature, It's a Specimen
Peter Seibel's contrarian perspective on code reading challenges the 'reading programs like books' metaphor, proposing instead that we study code like naturalists dissecting specimens.
Technical Writing & Insights
In-depth articles on software engineering, system design, and development best practices.
The AI Implications for Code Reading: What Becomes the Uniquely Human Skill?
As LLMs increasingly read and write code, what becomes uniquely human? Exploring oversight, architecture, and judgment in the age of AI-assisted development.
How Experts Actually Read Code: Eye-Tracking Research Reveals Surprising Patterns
Academic research using eye-tracking technology shows that code reading is fundamentally different from prose reading—experts scan while novices read linearly.
The Psychology of Code Hatred: Why We Instinctively Dislike Code We Didn't Write
Exploring the emotional and psychological dimensions of code reading that most advice completely ignores—from frustration responses to burnout risk.
When Standard Advice Fails: What to Do When You're Still Lost at Day 90
All code reading advice assumes eventual success. This post explores failure paths, escalation strategies, and accepting that some code may be genuinely incomprehensible.
Unique Code Reading Frameworks That Haven't Gone Mainstream
Beyond 'run a debugger'—lesser-known but powerful approaches to understanding codebases including cognitive refactoring, the stronghold technique, and approval testing.
The 10:1 Myth: What Everyone Keeps Repeating About Code Reading
Analyzing the saturated landscape of code reading advice—the same statistics, the same debugger recommendations, and why table stakes aren't insights.
Architecture-Specific Code Reading Strategies: The Gap Nobody's Filling
Why generic code reading advice falls short—and how strategies should differ for monoliths, microservices, event-driven systems, and distributed architectures.