If i have to choose the biggest thing i learnt in 2010, then it would be
Test Driven Development. Before i joined
ThoughtWorks (we are
hiring) i had just heard of it and never realized how important it is to write code and know that it works for X condition for sure. Now it freaks me out that lots of people dont write test .
There could be several reasons for not writing test.
- It takes too much time.
- It is not worth it.
- I am too lazy.
- I don't know how to do it.
- I know my code works because i ran it once and it worked
- I am a superhero, i don't make mistakes.
Unless your answer is last one (in which case i envy you) you should start reading more about testing and TDD.
Best resource to begin with is
TDD by Example..