Software Design: Tidy First? | Kent Beck | Substack
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Software Design: Tidy First? | Kent Beck | Substack
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Software design is an exercise in human relationships. So are all the other techniques we use to develop software. How can we geeks get better […]

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Genie Session: Codex for Mac/GPUSortedMap
A recording from Kent Beck's live video
tidyfirst.substack.com
February 14, 2026 at 2:56 AM
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Generation Gap or Just Rude?
This weekend I had the first experience talking to someone of a younger generation where I felt completely lost.
tidyfirst.substack.com
February 11, 2026 at 1:51 AM
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Labor Replacement is a Poison Pill
I just published publicly that when thinking about the economic value of AI, “replace human labor” is a narrow-minded perspective.
tidyfirst.substack.com
February 8, 2026 at 1:50 AM
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Is Source Code Going Away?
This is the very beginning of an idea.
tidyfirst.substack.com
February 7, 2026 at 1:50 AM
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The Pinhole View of AI Value
Focusing only on headcount reduction is like saying the only value of a car is that you don’t have to pay for a horse.
tidyfirst.substack.com
February 5, 2026 at 1:50 AM
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Can Genies Break Down Silos?
I’m writing this in a creative storm, so it’s not polished.
tidyfirst.substack.com
February 4, 2026 at 1:50 AM
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[Audio] [Original post on tidyfirst.substack.com]
Genie Sessions: Optionality
A recording from Kent Beck's live video
tidyfirst.substack.com
January 31, 2026 at 1:50 AM
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Tidy Together Reboot
I once warned here about the coming “blizzard” of book chapters for Tidy Together.
tidyfirst.substack.com
January 30, 2026 at 1:50 AM
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Taming the Genie: "Like Kent Beck"
Does it help? Not by itself but yes with a little more guidance.
tidyfirst.substack.com
January 21, 2026 at 1:50 AM
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Bridges
I became an only child at four and a half.
tidyfirst.substack.com
January 17, 2026 at 1:48 AM
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My Fitbit Buzzed and I Understood Enshittification
You can't measure your way to delight
tidyfirst.substack.com
January 15, 2026 at 1:55 AM
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The Precious Eyeblink
You’re typing.
tidyfirst.substack.com
December 30, 2025 at 1:46 AM
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Party of One for Code Review!
In 1976, Michael Fagan published “Design and Code Inspections to Reduce Errors in Program Development” in the IBM Systems Journal.
tidyfirst.substack.com
December 27, 2025 at 1:45 AM
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Thinkie: Reinforcing Loop
Pattern 1: You have a situation where the worse it gets, the worse it seems to get
tidyfirst.substack.com
December 19, 2025 at 1:44 AM
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The Bet On Juniors Just Got Better
Why genies can make hiring juniors more profitable, & what you need to change to get there
tidyfirst.substack.com
December 13, 2025 at 1:53 AM
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Explore *Then* Expand *Then* Extract
First publishing February 2016
tidyfirst.substack.com
December 5, 2025 at 1:39 AM
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Monday - Last Call on $180/Year
I don’t love reminder emails.
tidyfirst.substack.com
December 2, 2025 at 1:37 AM
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Tidying: Canonical Order
I’m thankful for your support of Tidy First.
tidyfirst.substack.com
November 29, 2025 at 1:37 AM
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If You've Been Thinking About Subscribing to Premium...
I wasn’t going to do this.
tidyfirst.substack.com
November 23, 2025 at 1:25 AM
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Thinkie: Influence Diagram
How do effects affect effects?
tidyfirst.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 1:23 AM
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Why Does Development Slow?
It's the options
tidyfirst.substack.com
November 20, 2025 at 1:23 AM
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Intentions & Actions
Git as an example
tidyfirst.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:36 AM
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Composable Tests
It's not what I thought
tidyfirst.substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 12:36 AM
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Pitching Hackathon Ideas: Oxymoron
The economic rationale for hackathons is that they create value by injecting uncertainty into development.
tidyfirst.substack.com
November 1, 2025 at 12:24 AM
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Getting Ready to Launch
Special practices for special times
tidyfirst.substack.com
October 30, 2025 at 12:23 AM