Kent Beck on Bitemporality, XP, and Developer Safety
In a recent episode of JUXT Cast, Kent Beck, author of the original XP book, discusses programming, bitemporality, and the state of Agile. The article highlights some key themes from the discussion, focusing on the essence of Extreme Programming (XP) and the importance of fast feedback loops in the development process. Kent argues that XP is not about following a linear path from requirements to implementation, but rather about rapidly searching for better solutions through trial and error. He emphasizes the need for developers to feel safe in their work, and how practices like Test Driven Development contribute to code flexibility and readiness for change. Kent also explores the idea of providing safety to users through features like 'undo' buttons and bitemporality, which allows for rectifying mistakes at a later date. This article offers valuable insights for developers looking to improve their development process and prioritize user safety.