ENGINEERING TOOLS
Small, explicit tools still have a place
A practical look at shell commands, regular expressions and formal data structures.
Match the tool to the boundary
A shell command, a regular expression or a formal schema can be useful when the input and the intended result are well defined. Small tools can be easier to inspect and can reuse software that an organisation already operates. That can be a practical administrative advantage.
Know what the tool does not prove
A regular expression does not establish the meaning of a document. A schema-valid object can still contain a false statement. A shell-based workflow can still have excessive permissions or unsafe data handling. Each claim needs to be tied to the boundary that is actually enforced.
Prefer a testable arrangement
I am interested in arrangements where inputs, transformations and outputs can be inspected and known failure cases can be exercised. Simplicity is useful when it removes unnecessary moving parts. It is not a reason to skip error handling, access control or review.