Hack like a journalist - Speaker Deck

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HACK LIKE A JOURNALIST Scott Matthewman LONDON RUBY USER GROUP • NOVEMBER 2015 Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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EDITORIAL JOURNALISM versus SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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EDITORIAL JOURNALISM versus SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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EDITORIAL JOURNALISM is similar to SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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We need to convey complex information in ways that are comprehensible Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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We tell stories Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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Programs must be written for people to read, and only incidentally for machines to execute — Harold Abelson, Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs http://bit.ly/hlaj-abelson Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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How do news journalists do it? Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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THE INVERTED PYRAMID A template for hard news stories Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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“This format is valued for two reasons… Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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“First, readers can leave the story at any point and understand it, even if they do not have all the details. Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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“Second, it conducts readers through the details of the story. — Wikipedia, Inverted pyramid http://bit.ly/hlaj-pyramid Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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AN EXAMPLE NEWS STORY Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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Joan Littlewood sculpture unveiled outside Theatre Royal Stratford East Matthew Hemley The Stage October 6, 2015 http://bit.ly/hlaj-news Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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A sculpture honouring theatre director Joan Littlewood has been unveiled outside Theatre Royal Stratford East. Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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The bronze sculpture, called The Mother of Modern Theatre, is located in Theatre Square, next to the east London venue, which Littlewood led for 26 years. It was revealed on October 4, two years after it was commissioned and in the month in which Littlewood would have turned 101. She died in 2002. Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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Guests who attended the unveiling included Barbara Windsor and Ian McKellen. Theatre Royal Stratford East artistic director Kerry Michael said: “The sculpture of Joan Littlewood will be a permanent reminder of her great contribution not just to British theatre, but to world theatre. We are proud of our history at Theatre Royal Stratford East and this is the perfect way to celebrate it.” The sculpture was created by Philip Jackson. In November 2013, a public fundraising campaign was launched to raise money for the sculpture. Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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CLARITY LEADS TO FEWER MISTAKES Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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IT’S EASIER TO WORK OUT WHAT TO LEAVE OUT OR MOVE ELSEWHERE Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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I THOUGHT THIS WAS A RUBY USER GROUP Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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We want the code to read like a top-down narrative. — Robert C. Martin, Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftmanship Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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We want every function to be followed by those at the next level of abstraction, so that we can read the program, descending one level of abstraction at a time as we read down the list of functions. I call this the Stepdown Rule. — Robert C. Martin, Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftmanship Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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... [it] helps the program read like a newspaper article. — Robert C. Martin, Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftmanship Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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SOME EXAMPLE RUBY CODE http://bit.ly/hlaj-rspec-example Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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module RSpec module Core module RubyProject def add_to_load_path(*dirs) ... Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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def add_to_load_path(*dirs) dirs.map { |dir| add_dir_to_load_path(File.join(root, dir)) } end Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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def add_dir_to_load_path(dir) $LOAD_PATH.unshift(dir) unless $LOAD_PATH.include?(dir) end Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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def add_to_load_path(*dirs) dirs.map { |dir| add_dir_to_load_path(File.join(root, dir)) } end Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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def add_to_load_path(*dirs) dirs.map { |dir| add_dir_to_load_path(File.join(root, dir)) } end def add_dir_to_load_path(dir) $LOAD_PATH.unshift(dir) unless $LOAD_PATH.include?(dir) end Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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def root @project_root ||= determine_root end Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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def determine_root ﬁnd_ﬁrst_parent_containing('spec') || '.' end Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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def ﬁnd_ﬁrst_parent_containing(dir) ascend_until { |path| File.exist?(File.join(path, dir)) } end Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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def ascend_until fs = File::SEPARATOR escaped_slash = "\\#{fs}" special = "_RSPEC_ESCAPED_SLASH_" project_path = File.expand_path(".") parts = project_path.gsub(escaped_slash, special) .squeeze(fs).split(fs).map do |x| x.gsub(special, escaped_slash) end until parts.empty? path = parts.join(fs) path = fs if path == "" return path if yield(path) parts.pop end end Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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def root @project_root ||= determine_root end def determine_root find_first_parent_containing('spec') || '.' end def find_first_parent_containing(dir) ascend_until { |path| File.exist?(File.join(path, dir)) } end def ascend_until fs = File::SEPARATOR escaped_slash = "\\#{fs}" special = "_RSPEC_ESCAPED_SLASH_" project_path = File.expand_path(".") parts = project_path.gsub(escaped_slash, special).squeeze(fs).split(fs).map do |x| x.gsub(special, escaped_slash) end until parts.empty? path = parts.join(fs) path = fs if path == "" return path if yield(path) parts.pop end end Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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While this sounds simple, it is difficult to execute in the field because of the avalanche of information that one has to process. So sift through the unnecessary bits to zero in on the most relevant and the most important. — Dev Sukumar, Using the inverted pyramid to write an article http://bit.ly/hlaj-using-pyramid Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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Or, in other words… Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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HACK LIKE A JOURNALIST Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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Other principles where we can learn from each other » Code review & sub-editing » Being your own subeditor » Style guides as living documents » and more… https://scottmatthewman.github.io Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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QUESTIONS? Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com

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THANK YOU scottmatthewman.github.io matthewman.net • @scottm altmetric.com • @altmetric • @AltmetricDev Scott Matthewman / @scottm / @altmetric / @AltmetricDev / scottmatthewman.github.io / altmetric.com