Scott Chacon
Ask Your Code
#1about 6 minutes
Using first principles thinking for better product design
Learn how to use the "why" technique to break down assumptions and uncover fundamental truths about the problems you are solving.
#2about 4 minutes
Applying first principles to modern version control systems
By repeatedly asking why we use tools like Git, we can uncover its core purposes and compare its model to alternatives like Google Docs.
#3about 1 minute
Using version control for code archeology and context
Version control serves as an archeological tool that helps developers ask questions about code history to gain context for making better decisions.
#4about 3 minutes
The limitations of common git log and blame commands
Standard commands like `git log` and `git blame` often provide superficial answers because they are easy to ask, not because they are the most useful.
#5about 2 minutes
Asking better questions with advanced git log commands
Discover more powerful `git log` variations for comparing branches and using the pickaxe search (`-S`) to find exactly when a specific string was introduced.
#6about 2 minutes
Tracing code history beyond simple git blame results
Use advanced `git blame` flags (`-C -C -C`) to track code that has been moved across files, identifying the original author instead of just the refactorer.
#7about 1 minute
Discovering related files using commit history analysis
A custom script can analyze commit history to find which other files are most frequently modified alongside a specific file, revealing hidden dependencies.
#8about 3 minutes
The impossible questions that version control cannot answer
Explore valuable questions that current version control systems can't answer, such as linking code changes to pull requests, chat conversations, or design specs.
#9about 7 minutes
Q&A on merge vs rebase and writing commit messages
The speaker shares his preference for `merge` over `rebase` to preserve history and suggests using AI tools to help generate better commit messages.
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