Why I rewrote everything (again)
A short and slightly embarrassing story about a third rewrite.
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A short and slightly embarrassing story about a third rewrite.
Rewrite number three started on a Sunday with a coffee and a reasonable-sounding plan. It ended nine days later with the same features, a smaller codebase and a clear sense that I should have changed one file instead.
If a rewrite cannot be described in one sentence, it is a refactor in disguise. Write the sentence first. If it still sounds worth doing, do it behind a flag and keep shipping the old path until the new one is boring.
Nine days of no new features, two customers who noticed, and one weekend I will not get back. What it gave me: a schema I understand, and tests where there were none.
Next week: the tools I actually use every day.
What do YOU think?
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Doug Dennison · 27 Oct
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