Most of your tech debt is free
Maintainability debt gets expensive when work runs through it. Match code churn against the roadmap to decide what to refactor and what to leave alone.
Piechowski.io Development Blog
-
-
Your Setup Script Should Support Git Worktrees
A worktree-aware setup script can diagnose missing tools, share one Docker stack, and isolate ports, databases, and state for safe parallel development.
-
How to Be a Good Open Source Maintainer
Most open source runs on one unpaid maintainer, and the silent close is the default. How to build a project that answers contributors on your worst week.
-
The Git Commands I Run Before Reading Any Code
Five git log commands that diagnose a new codebase before you open a single file: code churn hotspots, bus factor, bug clusters, and crisis patterns.
-
Ruby 3.2 Is EOL: What You Actually Need to Do
Ruby 3.2 hit end of life on March 31, 2026. What that actually means for your Rails app, your real risk, and why Ruby 3.4 is the target to upgrade to.
-
Why Your Engineering Team Is Slow (It's the Codebase, Not the People)
A two-minute interactive audit to score whether technical debt is dragging your engineering team. Five signals that separate people problems from code problems.
-
Rails 7.2 to 8.1 Upgrade: What Actually Breaks and How to Fix It
Everything that breaks upgrading Rails 7.2 to 8.1, and how to fix it: enum syntax, the Solid trifecta, Propshaft, params.expect, and every silent regression.
-
Migrating from Sprockets to Propshaft: Is It Worth It?
Rails 8 ships Propshaft by default, but migrating from Sprockets isn't always the right call. How to decide, and a step-by-step migration guide for when it is.
-
How to Close a Tab in Vim
To close a tab in vim, use :tabclose
-
How I Audit a Legacy Rails Codebase in the First Week
My Rails codebase audit process: stakeholder interviews before code, Gemfile and schema before any tools, and a single-page triage as the deliverable.
