Intro

In software development, documentation often takes a backseat to coding, testing, and deploying. However, software documentation is the backbone of more easily maintainable, scalable, and collaborative projects. This blog post by David Oragui gives useful information on why documentation is essential and how it supports both developers and end-users throughout the software lifecycle.

Summary of Source

The blog post explores the role of software documentation and offers practical advice on creating and maintaining it effectively. The main sections are:

1. What is Software Documentation?: A definition and explanation of how it serves as a guide for developers, users, and stakeholders, providing clarity on a system’s functionality and usage.
2. Types of Documentation: A breakdown of key categories, including user documentation, developer guides, technical documentation, and process documentation.
3. Best Practices for Writing Documentation: Practical tips, such as structuring content logically, using plain language, and keeping documentation up-to-date.
4. Using Software Documentation Tools: The different type of documentation tools and the reasons to consider them including automation, collaboration, and accessibility

Why I Chose This Blog

I selected this blog because it is a concise resource that explores all there is to know about documentation, making it a great guide to refer back to when needed. In my coursework, the focus has largely been on coding, but I’ve noticed that a lack of proper documentation can make even the best-written software hard to use and maintain. This blog stood out for its clear and actionable advice, which is especially valuable as I create projects and prepare for internships.

Reflection

The blog’s structured approach to explaining software documentation makes it great as an introductory resource. One section that particularly stood out was the breakdown of the different documentation types. It clarified the different audiences for documentation end-users, developers, and stakeholders, and how each requires tailored content. For example, user documentation should be simple and accessible, while developer guides need to be more technical and detail-oriented.

This difference in target audiences was an eye-opener, even though it does seem obvious when it’s said. There’s no reason to have documentation about technical details that an end-user will see because they won’t understand it or even need to. Whenever I thought about software documentation before, it was just a one size fits all document that explained the technical details of the software.

Another valuable takeaway was the emphasis on keeping documentation up to date. It made me consider the consequences of never updating documentation and having incorrect information that could end up causing a lot of trouble. When the point of documentation is to make it easier for all parties to understand a project, outdated docs would contribute to the very problem it’s trying to solve.

Future Application

Moving forward, I plan to apply these best practices to my projects. I will make sure to make different documentation resources for different target audiences, also making sure to update the docs every time a change is made to make sure there is no confusion with outdated information. Software Documentation simply makes the whole process of understanding and maintaining code a lot easier so there is really no downside to adding quality documentation to a project.

Citation

Software Documentation Best Practices [With Examples] by David Oragui

https://helpjuice.com/blog/software-documentation

From the blog CS@Worcester – The Science of Computation by Adam Jacher and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Intro

Have you ever forked a respository without looking at its software license? It’s easy for developers to unintentionally violate licenses, especially if they aren’t informed about what they are, leading to potential legal troubles. This blog post by Fernando Galano breaks down the complexities of software licensing, providing clarity on a topic that is often overlooked, but is vital for anyone involved in software development.

Summary of Source

The blog post explores the concept of software licensing, covering its purpose, types, and implications.

1. What is a Software License?: An explanation of how licenses define the terms under which software can be used, modified, and distributed.
2. Types of Licenses: An overview of open-source and proprietary licenses, including popular ones like the GNU General Public License (GPL), MIT License, and Apache License. It also explains what a copyleft license is as well as what a permissive license is.
3. Why Licensing Matters: A discussion of how licensing affects collaboration, compliance, and intellectual property rights. It describes the benefits of licensing from the standpoint of both developers and users.
4. Best Practices for Choosing and Using Licenses: Practical tips for selecting appropriate licenses for projects and understanding license compatibility.

The blog is an introductory resource for open-source software usage and distribution. It doesn’t go into excruciating detail, with pages upon pages of technical terms, but it does cover the basics and anyone interested in furthering their knowledge on software licenses should explore more sources.

Why I Chose This Blog

I chose this blog because it addresses a topic that is often overlooked in technical coursework but is integral to professional software development. As I aspire to work as a software developer, understanding licensing will help me avoid legal complications and help my work be protected. The blog’s concise explanations and practical examples make it an ideal resource for building foundational knowledge in this area.

Reflection of Source

The blog post provided a clear and structured overview of software licensing, breaking down confusing legal jargon into digestible information. One aspect that particularly stood out to me was the explanation of the differences between permissive and copyleft licenses. For instance, I now understand how the MIT License offers flexibility by allowing modification and redistribution with minimal restrictions, while the GPL ensures that derivative works remain open-source. Reading about software licenses makes me realize how easy it is to unintentionally violate licensing terms due to a lack of awareness. Before learning about licenses I had never even considered that I might be violating the original creators intentions when deriving their work. This blog has made me more vigilant about understanding and respecting licensing terms, ensuring that my future projects remain legally sound.

Future Application

As I move forward in my career, the knowledge gained about licenses will shape how I approach software usage and distribution. When contributing to open-source projects, I will carefully evaluate license terms to make sure it aligns with my goals. Also, while working professionally, I’ll advocate for the proper review of licensing agreements to prevent legal risks. This understanding also allows me to choose the right license when publishing my own work, depending on the terms I would like others to follow. By adhering to licensing norms, I aim to contribute to a more ethical and collaborative development environment.

Citation

Understanding Software Licensing by Fernando Galano https://www.bairesdev.com/blog/understanding-software-licensing/.

From the blog CS@Worcester – The Science of Computation by Adam Jacher and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Intro

Imagine inheriting a massive, poorly designed codebase. Every change you make breaks something else. For software developers, such nightmares can be avoided by adhering to the SOLID principles, a foundational guideline for creating maintainable, scalable systems. These principles are a must-know for any software developer seeking to improve the quality of their work. They provide a roadmap for developers to create cleaner, more maintainable codebases, which is why I was drawn to this resource

Blog Summary

The blog goes through each of the five principles, explaining what they are, why they are important, and giving a code examples utilizing each one.

1. Single Responsibility Principle (SRP): A class should have only one reason to change, ensuring focused and cohesive functionality. The blog illustrates SRP with an example of separating user management from content creation, showing how this approach simplifies debugging and enhances code clarity.

2. Open-Closed Principle (OCP): Software entities should be open for extension but closed for modification, promoting adaptability without risking existing functionality. For OCP, the blog demonstrates how using inheritance and interfaces allows developers to add new functionality, using Square and Rectangle classes inheriting from the Shape base class.

3. Liskov Substitution Principle (LSP): Subtypes must be substitutable for their base types without altering the correctness of the program. The example provided for LSP highlights how properly designed subclasses, such as an Eagle and a Penguin inheriting from a Bird class, ensure seamless substitution without breaking the program.

4. Interface Segregation Principle (ISP): Clients should not be forced to depend on interfaces they do not use, encouraging lean and specific interfaces. In discussing ISP, the blog uses an example of splitting a large interface into smaller, more specific ones, ensuring that classes only implement what they actually need.

5. Dependency Inversion Principle (DIP): High-level modules should not depend on low-level modules but instead rely on abstractions. For DIP, the blog explains how decoupling high-level modules from low-level details using abstraction layers, like interfaces, makes the codebase more flexible and easier to maintain.

Why I chose this resource

I selected this blog to write about because it breaks down each principle in a concise way, clearly explaining each one in a way that is easy to understand at all levels. It’s a great resource to quickly go back to when you need a refresher on any of the principles.

Reflection on SOLID

After learning about SOLID, I see that it might take an extra step of thinking to adhere to the principles at first, but I think it’s well worth it for the resulting code structure. The easy way to code is messily throwing together code that works without a second thought, but doing that is very dangerous for the longevity of a program. I believe that after following SOLID for a while it will become second nature and will become the natural way of coding, which is why I think it’s important to learn about SOLID early and consciously until it does become a subconscious practice. In one of my past projects, I struggled with messy code that implemented multiple responsibilities in one class. Debugging it was a nightmare, but had I known about the SRP principle it could have been avoided entirely. Reflecting on these principles has already influenced how I plan on approaching my code, and I’m eager to incorporate them into my future work.

Future Application

Given the importance of SOLID principles for large-scale software, I believe it’s essential to internalize and apply them in future projects to thrive in the software development space. By crafting modular classes and reducing dependency, I aim to create services and systems that are easy to maintain and adapt as requirements expand and evolve.

Citation

“Essential Software Design Principles You Should Know Before the Interview” By Arslan Ahmad

https://www.designgurus.io/blog/essential-software-design-principles-you-should-know-before-the-interview

From the blog CS@Worcester – The Science of Computation by Adam Jacher and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.