Programming’s Sacred Cows: How Best Practices Became the Industry’s Most Dangerous Religion | by Terrance Craddock | Mr. Plan ₿ Publication | Mar, 2025

Mr. Plan ₿ Publishing
The manufacturer is breaking the wall with a hammer, a lightweight, surrounded by a floating code and shining circuits. Text: 'Break the rules. Build the future. '
The photo is created using flokes.

In 2007, I deleted the 40,000 line Java Enterprise project and rebuilt it in PHP4. My colleagues treated as if I sacrificed a goat in the server room. “The best process!” He cried. “Maintain!” They warned. Three months later, we sent it quickly. The system had been flawless for a decade.

This is not a Humbleburg – this is a confession. For 25 years, I have seen my industry transforming “best methods” from helpful guidelines into unprecedented dagma. We have formed a sect where the developers worship the Convention altar while their creativity is wiped out in Pew.

Every programmer knows drill:

  • You write unit tests for each function
  • You never use global variables
  • You can be worshiped in the Church of Clean Architecture

But the dirty secret here is that no one admits: The most important software in history has broken all these principles.

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