specification

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Show HN: Great Spectations, the Spec Checker
2 months ago
- Great Spectations is a tool that checks code comments quoting specifications against the actual spec, flagging mismatches and missing quotes.
- It supports multiple languages (C, Python, Rust) and spec formats (Markdown, MediaWiki, RFC plaintext), and can ignore whitespace or be byte-exact.
- The tool provides coverage analysis to identify which spec requirements have not been quoted, and can split requirements across multiple code chunks.
- Developers writing specs and implementations side-by-side benefit from improved spec quality and easier validation for other implementors.
Stream of Consciousness Driven Development
2 months ago
- The author describes a technique called 'Stream of Consciousness Driven Development' for pairing, where instead of verbally explaining a complex change, they type out a structured markdown document (problem, solution, etc.) while incorporating partner questions.
- This method helps bridge gaps in experience between pair programmers, ensuring the partner fully understands the conceptual background before making changes, rather than blindly trusting the expert.
- It prevents unmaintainable specifications by forcing explicit documentation of the reasoning, and has been successfully used in teaching workshops.
A sufficiently comprehensive spec is not (necessarily) code
2 months ago
- A specification is an abstraction representing a set of possible implementations, not code itself.
- A spec is sufficient if any reasonable implementation within it satisfies the specifier, even if not fully comprehensive.
- Programmers are still needed to encode specs in formal languages like test suites, which remain distinct from code.
- LLM non-determinism and language vagueness mean specs may produce inconsistent results, reinforcing the distinction between spec and code.
- Even low-level programs (e.g., C or machine code) can be seen as specs due to varying implementations.

specification

Show HN: Great Spectations, the Spec Checker

Stream of Consciousness Driven Development

A sufficiently comprehensive spec is not (necessarily) code