Synopsis

With RoR, often the focus is on how easy it is to build an application from the ground up. But, there is a whole different set of challenges when working on a mature application.

This talk will discuss the issues discovered when peeling back the layers of a 7-year-old pile of code. In the beginning, the question isn’t “How do I build this,” but more like “Where does this go” or “Where is this bug coming from.” I will discuss the sometimes-unintended consequences of introducing new features, tracking down and fixing ancient bugs, estimating the time a new feature will take to build given the many other peculiar surprises you will uncover, and finally how not to worry about the inevitable day when you will break everything.

The audience will hear from a developer who works with old code every day and get tips to make their future selves and successors less confused, more productive, and less unintentionally destructive.