Steven Stanton

Crafting clean, concise code - because simplicity in development breeds clarity, efficiency, and quality.

[Steven Stanton @StevenDStanton]

Reliability is getting worse in the AI era, even if causation is not fully isolated

#AI

[Steven Stanton @StevenDStanton]

@thesayannayak This seems awfully personal...

[Steven Stanton @StevenDStanton]

@Wisdom_HQ Based on available information I would guess 2 people, however, I would want to know if the couple who went on the picnic brought anyone else with them before committing to an answer because like everything in computer science... it depends.

[Steven Stanton @StevenDStanton]

My Developer Roadmap: 🏎️ 2024: Go (Current daily driver) ✅ 2025: Rust 🚧 2026: Zig

I am getting a head start on 2026 and I am loving some of the design decisions behind Zig so far. It feels strict, but in the best way possible.

Unpopular opinion #1: Variable shadowing is a bug, not a feature.

As I kick off 2026 by learning Zig, I'm realizing how much mental overhead other languages create by allowing you to re-declare variables in inner scopes. Zig removes this entirely. It stops errors before they happen.

Unpopular opinion #2: Ignoring function returns is an anti-pattern.

Zig refuses to compile if you ignore a return value. This aligns perfectly with NASA's "Power of 10" rules for safety-critical code.

Rule 7 (which I wrote about in the article below) states: "Each calling function must check the return value of non-void functions, and each called function must check the validity of all parameters provided by the caller."

I find it a best practice and try to follow it regardless of the language. Zig just makes it mandatory. Go makes this difficult because it is far too easy to silently ignore return values on standard library functions.

https://t.co/naYQtnhy7T

#Zig #SoftwareEngineering #Golang #RustLang #NASA #CleanCode

[Steven Stanton @StevenDStanton]

Revisiting traditional design patterns and how they apply to Go

https://t.co/bDjfZzzpyt

[Steven Stanton @StevenDStanton]

@rasmalai Go

[Steven Stanton @StevenDStanton]

@SamNewby_ Why not just send it as a binary. You don't need human readable on the wire.

var binaryData = []byte("\x03\x00e\x0bAlex Rivera\x05\nExcellent!\x01\x00f\x0bBrij Pandey\x05\rGame changer!\x01\x00g\tCasey Lee\x03\x07Average\x00")
// Length: 85 bytes

[Steven Stanton @StevenDStanton]

NASA's Power of 10 and how it relates to Go. I enjoy viewing programming through different paradigms to deepen my understanding. Looking at how Go code can be written cleaner and safer is my latest approach.

https://t.co/SZB9TR6zKZ

[Steven Stanton @StevenDStanton]

@_devJNS First Programming Language was GW-Basic in 1990. Now I work with Go

[Steven Stanton @StevenDStanton]

@kozie87 @thepxprogrammer @_trish_xD For me it comes down to simplicity. Go just clicks with my brain in a way PHP never did. I also love being able to use it across multiple systems. CLI check. API running on Lambda check. 2D video game check. Windows app check.

[Steven Stanton @StevenDStanton]

@SecurityTrybe I love being able to use my PC without random AI spying on me.

[Steven Stanton @StevenDStanton]

@IamKyros69 My XPS 15 with an integrated 4070 and Pop_OS cost over $2k — overheats if I open 50 tabs and write Go. My $250 ThinkPad T460 with 32GB RAM and the same OS? Cool, quiet, built like a tank. One stays home, one travels with me. Guess which is which

[Steven Stanton @StevenDStanton]

@iyoushetwt You Misspelled Go

[Steven Stanton @StevenDStanton]

@MarioVerbelen That’s fair, if it’s your own code, that’s your choice.
My concern is when patterns like this end up in production code, where the next maintainer might assume the lock actually provides safety.
Production code should do what it looks like it does especially for juniors

[Steven Stanton @StevenDStanton]

@icanvardar It worked yesterday, but now it doesn’t. I didn’t change anything.

[Steven Stanton @StevenDStanton]

@lingodotdev In Go I use switches a lot.

[Steven Stanton @StevenDStanton]

@Palakonweb My 3 external monitors

[Steven Stanton @StevenDStanton]

@MarioVerbelen The real problem is the code lies. The mutex gives an illusion of safety, but it doesn’t actually prevent a race. Returning pointers exposes shared state, so the lock does nothing once you hand it out.

Code should be the source of truth — not a hint of safety.

[Steven Stanton @StevenDStanton]

The 3 hardest things in computer science:
1️⃣ Naming things
2️⃣ Cache invalidation
3️⃣ Off-by-one errors

[Steven Stanton @StevenDStanton]

@rqobela Learned but never used professionally and never plan to... Basic, C++, Java, Perl, and Rust.

Used Professionally but probably won't use again: PHP, C#, Backend Javascript.

Plan to learn but never use: Elixer, Clojure

I try to learn a new language every few years.