My basic rule is, if it could possibly come from the end…
“My basic rule is, if it could possibly come from the end user, it's not a run-time crash. But if it is my code to my code, I crash it as hard as possible—fail as early as possible.”
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Code should fail early when caused by user input, but can be stress‑tested on internal code.
In simple terms: Fail early on user errors, stress test internal code.
Key Takeaway
Implement early failure checks for user inputs.
Themes
software
error handling
fail fast
user input
testing
Mood
pragmatic
analytical
Type
technical
instructional
When to use this quote
- code reviews
- automated testing
- deployment pipelines
Key Concepts
software engineering
quality assurance
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance early failure with robustness?
- What safeguards protect internal code?
A Different Perspective
Over‑emphasis on early failure may hinder flexibility.