About Coding Confessions
Coding Confessions is a community driven project that aims to normalise failure in research software. We want to create an inclusive space for sharing experiences, generate opportunities to learn.
Put simply, a Coding Confession is…
Where somebody admits to mistakes or bad practice in code they've developed
What’s the problem?
Everybody who develops software has, at some point, written some software badly, quickly, cut corners or simply made a mistake that made it function incorrectly. Imposter syndrome makes many of us feel like this makes us less worthy developers.
Often the root cause is time pressure to make something that “just works” (or at least appears to). These little short cuts often end up becoming core pieces of software upon which research conclusions and publications are based. People don’t like to admit to making mistakes, cutting corners or not following best practice, sometimes hiding these problems away.
What’s our motivation?
We want to:
- Change the culture of research so that mistakes can be disclosed without fear.
- Document mistakes and allow the entire community to benefit from the lessons learned. These will be published on our public list of confessions.