Collaboration

Effective Code Reviews with Conventional Comments • Paul Slaughter & Adrienne Braganza

Effective Code Reviews with Conventional Comments • Paul Slaughter & Adrienne Braganza

Paul Slaughter, creator of Conventional Comments, and Adrienne Braganza Tacke discuss how a structured, empathetic approach to feedback can transform code reviews from frustrating processes into productive collaborations. They explore the philosophy behind labeling comments, the importance of fostering collaborative ownership, and practical strategies for maintaining both politeness and efficiency in asynchronous, remote environments.

Reading Code Effectively: An Overlooked Developer Skill • Marit van Dijk & Hannes Lowette

Reading Code Effectively: An Overlooked Developer Skill • Marit van Dijk & Hannes Lowette

Marit van Dijk and Hannes Lowette discuss why reading code is a critical, yet underdeveloped, skill for software developers. They explore research-backed strategies like structured code reading clubs, leveraging modern IDEs and AI assistants to comprehend complex codebases, and the importance of empathy in code reviews. The conversation emphasizes using tests as documentation and writing clear commit messages to improve collaboration and long-term maintainability.