The Benefits of Avoiding Unit Tests in Favor of Integration Tests

The Benefits of Avoiding Unit Tests in Favor of Integration Tests

When it comes to software testing, the age-old debate between unit tests and integration tests often leaves developers and testers in a quandary. While unit tests have their merits, there are compelling reasons to lean more heavily on integration tests, especially in certain contexts. In this article, we’ll delve into the benefits of favoring integration tests over unit tests and explore why this approach can be more effective in ensuring the overall health and reliability of your software....

March 7, 2025 · 4 min · 824 words · Maxim Zhirnov
Unconventional Programming Techniques for Unique Challenges

Unconventional Programming Techniques for Unique Challenges

The Uncharted Territories of Computing In the vast and ever-evolving landscape of software development, there are times when the conventional methods just won’t cut it. This is where unconventional programming techniques come into play, offering innovative solutions to unique challenges. From using billiard balls and dominoes to compute, to programming languages that resemble cooking recipes or the works of Shakespeare, these approaches are not just intriguing but also powerful tools in the right contexts....

March 6, 2025 · 5 min · 1029 words · Maxim Zhirnov
Developing Firefox Extensions with WebExtensions API

Developing Firefox Extensions with WebExtensions API

Introduction to WebExtensions If you’ve ever wondered how to customize your Firefox browser to do just about anything you can imagine, you’re in the right place. WebExtensions are the key to unlocking this potential, and in this article, we’ll dive deep into how you can create your own Firefox extensions using the WebExtensions API. What are WebExtensions? WebExtensions are a cross-browser technology that allows you to build browser extensions for Firefox, as well as other browsers like Google Chrome, Opera, and Microsoft Edge....

March 5, 2025 · 5 min · 936 words · Maxim Zhirnov
Why Your Obsession with DRY Principle is Making Your Code Worse

Why Your Obsession with DRY Principle is Making Your Code Worse

The DRY Principle: A Double-Edged Sword In the world of software development, the DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself) principle is often hailed as a golden rule. It advises developers to avoid duplicating code, ensuring that every piece of knowledge has a single, unambiguous, authoritative representation within a system. However, like any principle, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. In fact, an overzealous adherence to DRY can sometimes lead to more harm than good....

March 5, 2025 · 5 min · 1000 words · Maxim Zhirnov
Building a Streaming Data Processing System with Apache Beam

Building a Streaming Data Processing System with Apache Beam

Introduction to Apache Beam When it comes to processing large volumes of data, whether it’s in batch or streaming mode, Apache Beam stands out as a versatile and powerful tool. Apache Beam is an open-source framework that allows you to design and execute data processing pipelines with ease, supporting both batch and streaming data. In this article, we’ll delve into the world of streaming data processing using Apache Beam, and I’ll guide you through the process of building a streaming ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) pipeline....

March 3, 2025 · 4 min · 828 words · Maxim Zhirnov