The latest articles on Forem by Milan Mimica (@mmimica). https://forem.com/mmimica https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F664115%2F4c5e652f-1ae1-4522-9c62-b39719350531.jpg https://forem.com/mmimica en Milan Mimica Wed, 14 Jul 2021 07:04:07 +0000 https://forem.com/infobipdev/what-i-learned-about-software-development-by-baking-cakes-284l https://forem.com/infobipdev/what-i-learned-about-software-development-by-baking-cakes-284l <p>Some time ago I started baking cakes. Out of nowhere, just like I started programming about 15 years ago. I wanted to adopt a new skill, learn something new, fun and interesting. Wait, am I talking about programming or baking?</p> <p>I've been contemplating a lot lately about programming, software development, cakes, life universe and everything. Here I'm going to share some of my ideas.</p> <h2> Expect failures </h2> <p>In baking cakes, just as in software development, some attempts end with a failure, going down the drain/toilet/<a href="https://linux.die.net/man/2/unlink">unlink(2)</a>. At some point you realize the cake is going to be a certain failure, an unfixable one. The sooner you realize it the better. Real failures are ones from which you don't become a better pastry chef/programmer/person. Sit back and think where it went wrong, have a glass of wine, and learn something from it.</p> <p>Failures don't cease, ever. Admittedly, the chemical process of cake baking, when developed in a closed system, is determined by a finite set of factors. The result should be predictable. There is no magic. Just as software is executed on deterministic machines. Yet, both fail. It's a mystery to me.</p> <p>I know, there is software which never fails, developed by the process, not by people. There is also cake factories producing rum-tasting cubes wrapped in plastic. Not my coup of tea.</p> <h2> You cannot force quality </h2> <p>Motivated people deliver quality. If I don't feel like writing software I am not going to write software. Same goes for cakes. It's just that baking cakes doesn't pay my bills, but honestly, bad quality software doesn't pay anyone's bills either. When I don't feel like coding I can always resort to reviewing someone else's code, writing cute emails, thinking about architecture, or just socializing with other people who also don't feel like coding.</p> <p>Luckily, there are times when all I wanna do is to bake a cake. Coding, also sometimes.</p> <h2> Working software over comprehensive documentation </h2> <p>You should already have heard this one. Here is what I think about recipes: you don't need those. They are incomplete, wrong and you probably don't know how to use them. A recipe is just a reference. It roughly describes the process. It's a good starting point to develop something on your own. If it weren't so, you'd be better of with a cake printer.</p> <p>Recipe is like a programming tutorial. You need it just to get started. Soon enough you'll have to learn about all the hidden processes that make a cake a great success.</p> baking