Reading Code Effectively: An Overlooked Dev. Skill • Marit van Dijk & Hannes Lowette • GOTO 2025

This interview was recorded for GOTO Unscripted. #GOTOcon #GOTOunscripted https://gotopia.tech Read the full transcription of this interview here: https://gotopia.tech/articles/366 Marit van Dijk - Developer Advocate at JetBrains, Java Champion & Open Source Contributor @maritvandijk Hannes Lowette - Principal Consultant at Axxes, Monolith Advocate, Speaker & Whiskey Lover @Belenar82 RESOURCES Marit https://bsky.app/profile/maritvandijk.bsky.social https://linkedin.com/in/maritvandijk https://mastodon.social/@maritvandijk https://github.com/mlvandijk https://medium.com/@mlvandijk https://maritvandijk.com Hannes https://bsky.app/profile/hanneslowette.net https://twitter.com/hannes_lowette https://github.com/Belenar https://linkedin.com/in/hanneslowette Links https://www.felienne.com https://codereading.club https://github.com/neontribe/code-reading-club https://www.linkedin.com/posts/maritvandijk_schrödingers-documentation-if-there-are-activity-7174667376284594176--ACw https://youtu.be/KkDmCcWN8TY https://youtu.be/az-MX_M11lg https://youtu.be/ztdxlkmxpIQ https://youtu.be/n7QUBt6qsUU https://youtu.be/1tpyAQZFlZY https://youtu.be/LTFe7Zj-hzQ https://youtu.be/tx-gFamVeic https://youtu.be/s-rDYbPv6Vo https://youtu.be/3NdTNJyuWbA https://youtu.be/VLUvfIm9wnQ https://youtu.be/T47k2tHXmOA DESCRIPTION Reading code is a critical yet often underappreciated skill in software development. Marit van Dijk & Hannes Lowette highlight that while developers are trained to write code, they spend most of their time understanding existing codebases—often with incomplete documentation and evolving complexity. They discuss research-backed strategies, such as structured code reading exercises, participation in communities like the Code Reading Club, and leveraging modern IDE tools to navigate and comprehend unfamiliar code. The conversation underscores the importance of empathy in code reviews, writing clear commit messages, and using tests as documentation to improve collaboration and maintainability. By practicing code reading deliberately and utilizing available resources, developers can become more effective and adaptable in their work. TIMECODES 00:00 Intro 00:36 Reading code 05:47 Challenges of complex code 07:48 Strategies for understanding new codebases 10:21 Empathy & collaboration 18:28 Write code that's easy to read & understand 30:53 Tips for improving your code reading skills 33:21 Outro RECOMMENDED BOOKS Felienne Hermans • The Programmer's Brain • https://amzn.to/3mENbN0 Adrienne Braganza Tacke • "Looks Good to Me": Constructive Code Reviews • https://amzn.to/3E75XrD Duncan McGregor & Nat Pryce • Java to Kotlin • https://amzn.to/4apSjLu Marcin Moskala • Effective Kotlin • https://amzn.to/40OIDa3 Saleem Siddiqui • Learning Test-Driven Development • https://amzn.to/35OMb3n Roy Osherove • The Art of Unit Testing • https://bit.ly/3obiKNB Trisha Gee & Helen Scott • Getting to Know IntelliJ IDEA • https://amzn.to/3ZBgnGc Jacqui Read • Communication Patterns • https://amzn.to/3E37lvv Kevlin Henney & Trisha Gee • 97 Things Every Java Programmer Should Know • https://amzn.to/3kiTwJJ https://bsky.app/profile/gotocon.com https://twitter.com/GOTOcon https://www.linkedin.com/company/goto- https://www.instagram.com/goto_con https://www.facebook.com/GOTOConferences #ReadingCode #ProgrammersBrain #LegacyCode #Refactoring #Syntax #Structure #Intellij #IntellijIDEA #DeveloperSkills #OpenRewrite #MaritvanDijk #HannesLowette CHANNEL MEMBERSHIP BONUS Join this channel to get early access to videos & other perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs_tLP3AiwYKwdUHpltJPuA/join Looking for a unique learning experience? Attend the next GOTO conference near you! Get your ticket at https://gotopia.tech Sign up for updates and specials at https://gotopia.tech/newsletter SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHANNEL - new videos posted almost daily. https://www.youtube.com/user/GotoConferences/?sub_confirmation=1