Darren McLeod
@darrenmcleod.com
Independent Consultant with expertise designing, developing, and deploying innovative technology solutions using C#. Hands-on Coder & Technology Evangelist.
Reposted by Darren McLeod
The modernization progress illusion is an almost universal pattern I've observed over the past decade.
You can make quick progress early by building new things outside the legacy or extracting pieces on the edges that have few dependencies.
Quick wins, low risk.
1/4
You can make quick progress early by building new things outside the legacy or extracting pieces on the edges that have few dependencies.
Quick wins, low risk.
1/4
November 15, 2025 at 8:53 AM
The modernization progress illusion is an almost universal pattern I've observed over the past decade.
You can make quick progress early by building new things outside the legacy or extracting pieces on the edges that have few dependencies.
Quick wins, low risk.
1/4
You can make quick progress early by building new things outside the legacy or extracting pieces on the edges that have few dependencies.
Quick wins, low risk.
1/4
Reposted by Darren McLeod
T-Minus 1 Day
.NET Conf 2025 in on its way...
#VisualStudio2026 is redefining dev! Join us tomorrow at .NET Conf to explore next-gen features. Free & virtual—don’t miss this future-focused event! Read the Visual Studio Blog for more info: msft.it/63321tHgx5
.NET Conf 2025 in on its way...
#VisualStudio2026 is redefining dev! Join us tomorrow at .NET Conf to explore next-gen features. Free & virtual—don’t miss this future-focused event! Read the Visual Studio Blog for more info: msft.it/63321tHgx5
November 10, 2025 at 1:10 PM
T-Minus 1 Day
.NET Conf 2025 in on its way...
#VisualStudio2026 is redefining dev! Join us tomorrow at .NET Conf to explore next-gen features. Free & virtual—don’t miss this future-focused event! Read the Visual Studio Blog for more info: msft.it/63321tHgx5
.NET Conf 2025 in on its way...
#VisualStudio2026 is redefining dev! Join us tomorrow at .NET Conf to explore next-gen features. Free & virtual—don’t miss this future-focused event! Read the Visual Studio Blog for more info: msft.it/63321tHgx5
Reposted by Darren McLeod
Good abstractions hide the irrelevant and simplify the essential.
Bad abstractions hide the essential and complicate the irrelevant.
Bad abstractions hide the essential and complicate the irrelevant.
November 10, 2025 at 11:53 PM
Good abstractions hide the irrelevant and simplify the essential.
Bad abstractions hide the essential and complicate the irrelevant.
Bad abstractions hide the essential and complicate the irrelevant.
New blog post about my cognitive challenge with the Facebook Link Preview I encountered trying to help my wife promote her new online course www.darrenmcleod.com/2025/10/my-w...
My Wife's Cognitive Challenge
A blog about programming in Visual Studio .NET, ASP.NET, C# and related subjects.
www.darrenmcleod.com
October 31, 2025 at 12:15 AM
New blog post about my cognitive challenge with the Facebook Link Preview I encountered trying to help my wife promote her new online course www.darrenmcleod.com/2025/10/my-w...
Reposted by Darren McLeod
Legacy-leveraged learning phase is the name I use for a pattern we've been using at PayFit in a few places recently.
This pattern is controversial because it violates my most important modernization principle: respect domain boundaries.
1/4
#legacyModernization #dddDesign
This pattern is controversial because it violates my most important modernization principle: respect domain boundaries.
1/4
#legacyModernization #dddDesign
October 18, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Legacy-leveraged learning phase is the name I use for a pattern we've been using at PayFit in a few places recently.
This pattern is controversial because it violates my most important modernization principle: respect domain boundaries.
1/4
#legacyModernization #dddDesign
This pattern is controversial because it violates my most important modernization principle: respect domain boundaries.
1/4
#legacyModernization #dddDesign
Reposted by Darren McLeod
Reposted by Darren McLeod
I'm trying to assemble the ~20 best resources (talks, articles, books) around Event-Driven Architecture:
codeberg.org/lutzh/awesom...
What do you think is missing? Also, if you could give it a ⭐ that would help, too 🙏 .
#eventdrivenarchitecture #eda #softwarearchitecture
codeberg.org/lutzh/awesom...
What do you think is missing? Also, if you could give it a ⭐ that would help, too 🙏 .
#eventdrivenarchitecture #eda #softwarearchitecture
awesome-event-driven-architecture
A curated list of resources on event-driven architecture.
codeberg.org
August 14, 2025 at 8:03 AM
I'm trying to assemble the ~20 best resources (talks, articles, books) around Event-Driven Architecture:
codeberg.org/lutzh/awesom...
What do you think is missing? Also, if you could give it a ⭐ that would help, too 🙏 .
#eventdrivenarchitecture #eda #softwarearchitecture
codeberg.org/lutzh/awesom...
What do you think is missing? Also, if you could give it a ⭐ that would help, too 🙏 .
#eventdrivenarchitecture #eda #softwarearchitecture
Reposted by Darren McLeod
No, Your Domains and Bounded Contexts Don’t Map 1 on 1. It sounds clean and logical, but it’s wrong. Read about it in my latest article: verraes.net/2025/08/doma...
No, Your Domains and Bounded Contexts Don’t Map 1 on 1
Bounded Contexts are a design choice to suit engineering needs
verraes.net
August 28, 2025 at 2:54 PM
No, Your Domains and Bounded Contexts Don’t Map 1 on 1. It sounds clean and logical, but it’s wrong. Read about it in my latest article: verraes.net/2025/08/doma...
Reposted by Darren McLeod
Every service class in a piece of software I see is just a place where mid-devs hide proceedural implementation due to chronic under-design.
Can't name the thing? Service!
Don't know what your abstraction is? Service!
Anemic, undiscoverable, procedural code every time. ManagerClass for 2010-2025.
Can't name the thing? Service!
Don't know what your abstraction is? Service!
Anemic, undiscoverable, procedural code every time. ManagerClass for 2010-2025.
August 26, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Every service class in a piece of software I see is just a place where mid-devs hide proceedural implementation due to chronic under-design.
Can't name the thing? Service!
Don't know what your abstraction is? Service!
Anemic, undiscoverable, procedural code every time. ManagerClass for 2010-2025.
Can't name the thing? Service!
Don't know what your abstraction is? Service!
Anemic, undiscoverable, procedural code every time. ManagerClass for 2010-2025.
Reposted by Darren McLeod
The book Upstream by Dan Heath is worth a read (author of Switch and Made to Stick)
The premise is thinking upstream to solve systemic issues to avoid “problem blindness” (when you can’t see something right in front of you because you’re so used to the problem)
I love systems thinking.
The premise is thinking upstream to solve systemic issues to avoid “problem blindness” (when you can’t see something right in front of you because you’re so used to the problem)
I love systems thinking.
August 21, 2025 at 2:43 PM
The book Upstream by Dan Heath is worth a read (author of Switch and Made to Stick)
The premise is thinking upstream to solve systemic issues to avoid “problem blindness” (when you can’t see something right in front of you because you’re so used to the problem)
I love systems thinking.
The premise is thinking upstream to solve systemic issues to avoid “problem blindness” (when you can’t see something right in front of you because you’re so used to the problem)
I love systems thinking.
Reposted by Darren McLeod
Do This. Not This. Or ...
Day 5/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
Day 5/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
August 21, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Do This. Not This. Or ...
Day 5/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
Day 5/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
Reposted by Darren McLeod
"The problem with OOP is <complete misunderstanding of OOP>"
August 21, 2025 at 7:19 PM
"The problem with OOP is <complete misunderstanding of OOP>"
Reposted by Darren McLeod
There are only two hard problems in distributed systems:
2. Exactly-once delivery
1. Guaranteed order of messages
2. Exactly-once delivery
2. Exactly-once delivery
1. Guaranteed order of messages
2. Exactly-once delivery
August 15, 2025 at 2:50 PM
There are only two hard problems in distributed systems:
2. Exactly-once delivery
1. Guaranteed order of messages
2. Exactly-once delivery
2. Exactly-once delivery
1. Guaranteed order of messages
2. Exactly-once delivery
Reposted by Darren McLeod
TODAY at 10AM PT!
〰️ .NET AI Community Standup 〰️
Today, we explore how to take AI workloads traditionally built in Python and turbocharge them using #dotNET. Join us. 🎥 msft.it/63325s3r9z
〰️ .NET AI Community Standup 〰️
Today, we explore how to take AI workloads traditionally built in Python and turbocharge them using #dotNET. Join us. 🎥 msft.it/63325s3r9z
August 13, 2025 at 1:10 PM
TODAY at 10AM PT!
〰️ .NET AI Community Standup 〰️
Today, we explore how to take AI workloads traditionally built in Python and turbocharge them using #dotNET. Join us. 🎥 msft.it/63325s3r9z
〰️ .NET AI Community Standup 〰️
Today, we explore how to take AI workloads traditionally built in Python and turbocharge them using #dotNET. Join us. 🎥 msft.it/63325s3r9z
Reposted by Darren McLeod
I talk to teams about the "self-fulfilling prophecies" of Test-Driven Development, but there's one that's implied but I don't know if I've seen it explicitly stated before.
If we're only writing code needed to pass our tests, then *all* of our code will be in the call stack of the tests
(1/)
If we're only writing code needed to pass our tests, then *all* of our code will be in the call stack of the tests
(1/)
August 12, 2025 at 3:10 AM
I talk to teams about the "self-fulfilling prophecies" of Test-Driven Development, but there's one that's implied but I don't know if I've seen it explicitly stated before.
If we're only writing code needed to pass our tests, then *all* of our code will be in the call stack of the tests
(1/)
If we're only writing code needed to pass our tests, then *all* of our code will be in the call stack of the tests
(1/)
Reposted by Darren McLeod
Putting all your controllers in one directory and your views in another
Is like putting the cortisone and hemorrhoid cream in the drawer with toothpaste because they're all tubes.
Is like putting the cortisone and hemorrhoid cream in the drawer with toothpaste because they're all tubes.
August 7, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Putting all your controllers in one directory and your views in another
Is like putting the cortisone and hemorrhoid cream in the drawer with toothpaste because they're all tubes.
Is like putting the cortisone and hemorrhoid cream in the drawer with toothpaste because they're all tubes.
Reposted by Darren McLeod
Vibe coding promises easy AI-generated software but creates massive shadow IT risks for enterprises. Learn why this trend threatens security, compliance and scale.
Vibe Coding: The Shadow IT Problem No One Saw Coming
Vibe coding promises easy AI-generated software but creates massive shadow IT risks for enterprises. Learn why this trend threatens security, compliance and scale.
bit.ly
August 6, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Vibe coding promises easy AI-generated software but creates massive shadow IT risks for enterprises. Learn why this trend threatens security, compliance and scale.
Reposted by Darren McLeod
Happy birthday to the 6502! hackaday.com/2025/08/04/h... #retrocomputing
Happy Birthday 6502
The MOS Technology 6502 is a microprocessor which casts a long shadow over the world of computing. Many of you will know it as the beating heart of so many famous 8-bit machines from the likes of C…
hackaday.com
August 4, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Happy birthday to the 6502! hackaday.com/2025/08/04/h... #retrocomputing
Reposted by Darren McLeod
What is a book you learned a lot from related to software engineering? (Aka one you'd recommend)
August 3, 2025 at 2:08 PM
What is a book you learned a lot from related to software engineering? (Aka one you'd recommend)
Reposted by Darren McLeod
An educated guess is this is a migration gone terribly wrong… again, thanks to assuming they can do a sloppy migration with long downtime.
The way you do migrations well is planning for zero downtime. Or the very least have a robust rollback plan. More: newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com/p/migrations
The way you do migrations well is planning for zero downtime. Or the very least have a robust rollback plan. More: newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com/p/migrations
Migrations Done Well
A guide for executing migrations well, at both small and large scales.
newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com
August 1, 2025 at 6:15 AM
An educated guess is this is a migration gone terribly wrong… again, thanks to assuming they can do a sloppy migration with long downtime.
The way you do migrations well is planning for zero downtime. Or the very least have a robust rollback plan. More: newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com/p/migrations
The way you do migrations well is planning for zero downtime. Or the very least have a robust rollback plan. More: newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com/p/migrations
There is a software development methodology that uses a Kanban board, but it isn’t called Kanban because Kanban isn’t a methodology(kanban.university/kanban-guide/). It’s just a method, a board with columns and stickies to track work,
www.darrenmcleod.com/2025/07/kanb...
1/n
www.darrenmcleod.com/2025/07/kanb...
1/n
Kanban and the Methodology With No Name
A blog about programming in Visual Studio .NET, ASP.NET, C# and related subjects.
www.darrenmcleod.com
July 26, 2025 at 1:22 PM
There is a software development methodology that uses a Kanban board, but it isn’t called Kanban because Kanban isn’t a methodology(kanban.university/kanban-guide/). It’s just a method, a board with columns and stickies to track work,
www.darrenmcleod.com/2025/07/kanb...
1/n
www.darrenmcleod.com/2025/07/kanb...
1/n
Reposted by Darren McLeod
Published: Why do Teams not practice Continuous Integration?
Everyone in the IT industry agrees that Continuous Integration is a required practice to realise quality and stability. Yet, few teams have truly implemented Continuous Integration. Why is that?
thinkinglabs.io/articles/202...
Everyone in the IT industry agrees that Continuous Integration is a required practice to realise quality and stability. Yet, few teams have truly implemented Continuous Integration. Why is that?
thinkinglabs.io/articles/202...
Why do Teams not practice Continuous Integration?
thinkinglabs.io
July 26, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Published: Why do Teams not practice Continuous Integration?
Everyone in the IT industry agrees that Continuous Integration is a required practice to realise quality and stability. Yet, few teams have truly implemented Continuous Integration. Why is that?
thinkinglabs.io/articles/202...
Everyone in the IT industry agrees that Continuous Integration is a required practice to realise quality and stability. Yet, few teams have truly implemented Continuous Integration. Why is that?
thinkinglabs.io/articles/202...
Reposted by Darren McLeod
Published an update to: On the Benefits of Trunk-based development
Added the missing:
- enables incremental software engineering skills
- encourages refactoring
- this has worked for regulated industries and large IT systems
thinkinglabs.io/articles/202...
Added the missing:
- enables incremental software engineering skills
- encourages refactoring
- this has worked for regulated industries and large IT systems
thinkinglabs.io/articles/202...
thinkinglabs.io
July 24, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Published an update to: On the Benefits of Trunk-based development
Added the missing:
- enables incremental software engineering skills
- encourages refactoring
- this has worked for regulated industries and large IT systems
thinkinglabs.io/articles/202...
Added the missing:
- enables incremental software engineering skills
- encourages refactoring
- this has worked for regulated industries and large IT systems
thinkinglabs.io/articles/202...