Reading Code Effectively: An Overlooked Dev. Skill • Marit van Dijk & Hannes Lowette • GOTO 2025

This interview was recorded for GOTO Unscripted. #GOTOcon #GOTOunscripted
https://gotopia.tech

Read the full transcription of this interview here:
https://gotopia.tech/articles/366

Marit van Dijk - Developer Advocate at JetBrains, Java Champion & Open Source Contributor @maritvandijk
Hannes Lowette - Principal Consultant at Axxes, Monolith Advocate, Speaker & Whiskey Lover @Belenar82

RESOURCES
Marit
https://bsky.app/profile/maritvandijk.bsky.social
https://linkedin.com/in/maritvandijk
https://mastodon.social/@maritvandijk
https://github.com/mlvandijk
https://medium.com/@mlvandijk
https://maritvandijk.com

Hannes
https://bsky.app/profile/hanneslowette.net
https://twitter.com/hannes_lowette
https://github.com/Belenar
https://linkedin.com/in/hanneslowette

Links
https://www.felienne.com
https://codereading.club
https://github.com/neontribe/code-reading-club
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/maritvandijk_schrödingers-documentation-if-there-are-activity-7174667376284594176--ACw
https://youtu.be/KkDmCcWN8TY
https://youtu.be/az-MX_M11lg
https://youtu.be/ztdxlkmxpIQ
https://youtu.be/n7QUBt6qsUU
https://youtu.be/1tpyAQZFlZY
https://youtu.be/LTFe7Zj-hzQ
https://youtu.be/tx-gFamVeic
https://youtu.be/s-rDYbPv6Vo
https://youtu.be/3NdTNJyuWbA
https://youtu.be/VLUvfIm9wnQ
https://youtu.be/T47k2tHXmOA

DESCRIPTION
Reading code is a critical yet often underappreciated skill in software development. Marit van Dijk & Hannes Lowette highlight that while developers are trained to write code, they spend most of their time understanding existing codebases—often with incomplete documentation and evolving complexity.

They discuss research-backed strategies, such as structured code reading exercises, participation in communities like the Code Reading Club, and leveraging modern IDE tools to navigate and comprehend unfamiliar code. The conversation underscores the importance of empathy in code reviews, writing clear commit messages, and using tests as documentation to improve collaboration and maintainability. By practicing code reading deliberately and utilizing available resources, developers can become more effective and adaptable in their work.

TIMECODES
00:00 Intro
00:36 Reading code
05:47 Challenges of complex code
07:48 Strategies for understanding new codebases
10:21 Empathy & collaboration
18:28 Write code that's easy to read & understand
30:53 Tips for improving your code reading skills
33:21 Outro

RECOMMENDED BOOKS
Felienne Hermans • The Programmer's Brain • https://amzn.to/3mENbN0
Adrienne Braganza Tacke • "Looks Good to Me": Constructive Code Reviews • https://amzn.to/3E75XrD
Duncan McGregor & Nat Pryce • Java to Kotlin • https://amzn.to/4apSjLu
Marcin Moskala • Effective Kotlin • https://amzn.to/40OIDa3
Saleem Siddiqui • Learning Test-Driven Development • https://amzn.to/35OMb3n
Roy Osherove • The Art of Unit Testing • https://bit.ly/3obiKNB
Trisha Gee & Helen Scott • Getting to Know IntelliJ IDEA • https://amzn.to/3ZBgnGc
Jacqui Read • Communication Patterns • https://amzn.to/3E37lvv
Kevlin Henney & Trisha Gee • 97 Things Every Java Programmer Should Know • https://amzn.to/3kiTwJJ

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